A Child's Savior
by Peggy Schultz
Summary: AU where QuiGon decides to leave the Jedi order, causing consequences to ObiWan. Finally Finished 7232005
1. Prologue

A Child's Savior?  
  
Prologue  
  
Disclaimer: The Star Wars characters and the Star Wars universe that I borrow them from belong to George Lucas. The story belongs to me. You can use my story on your site if you want, just let me know first.  
  
Title: A Child's Savior  
  
Characters: Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Mace Windu, more.  
  
Spoilers: Possibly for JA 3 and 4.  
  
Timeline: Obi-Wan is 13, takes place six months after JA #3  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: AU where Qui-Gon decides to leave the Jedi order, causing consequences to Obi-Wan.  
  
Author: Peggy Schultz Website:   
  
Email: masterobiwankenobi@msn.com  
  
Copyright © 2003 PS Schultz  
  
"Mistake you are making," Jedi Master Yoda harrumphed. He sat in his favorite meditation room in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Master Qui-Gon Jinn sat beside the small Master, his legs crossed as he sat on the cool floor.  
  
"I don't believe I am. I think taking some time away from the Jedi Order will help me to determine if this is really what I want."  
  
"Think I do, running away you are. Xanatos' failure your fault it was not. Blame yourself you should not," Yoda told him pointing a gnarled finger at the taller man next to him.  
  
"I'm not running away Master Yoda. I need to take a few years away from the order. I will come back in a year or two perhaps less. I have no doubt that I will return."  
  
"Terrible consequences this decision will have. Terrible consequences," Yoda shook his head and closed his large eyes. Qui-Gon knew that the smaller and wiser Master was either deep in thought or in the midst of a vision.  
  
"I'm willing to accept the consequences that I will have to face," Qui-Gon assured him.  
  
Yoda's eyes opened wide and the older Jedi looked up into Qui-Gon's sapphire colored eyes. "The consequences to Obi-Wan Kenobi do you accept?"  
  
"What consequences? And who is Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
"Eleven year old initiate Kenobi is. Your Padawan he was meant to be."  
  
"Was?" Qui-Gon questioned. He could not imagine taking another Padawan. After his failure with Xanatos, he promised himself that he would never take another Padawan.  
  
"Grave consequences to Initiate Kenobi if change your mind you do not," Yoda said with a thump of his walking stick for emphasis.  
  
"I'm sure that the boy will find a Master better suited to train him than me. I may return before someone else chooses him. Although I must admit that I don't know if I want to take another Padawan."  
  
"Humph, mistake you are making; know this I do," Yoda informed him sternly.  
  
"I'm sorry but I don't believe that I'm making a mistake. This is something that I must do." Qui-Gon stood up and walked toward the door.  
  
"May the Force be with you," Yoda sighed closing his eyes once more.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded, "And with you Master Yoda." He left the meditation room trying to convince himself that Yoda was just using Obi-Wan as an excuse to persuade him to stay in the Order.  
  
To be continued. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
Two Years Later:  
  
Qui-Gon walked down the busy streets of the planet Luzick. A gentle breeze caressed his face and blew his long brown hair off his shoulder and into his face. With a swipe of his hand, he brushed the hair out of his face. He could sense the abundance of life forms that surrounded him. Qui-Gon smiled, he felt comforted by the presence of other life forms especially after piloting his small cargo vessel filled with only speeder parts for the past eight days.  
  
Occasionally, especially when he was bored, the former Jedi wondered how his friends at the Jedi Temple were doing. He had begun to miss his old life and he had decided that after he finished his next job of delivering supplies he would return to the Order. He had even thought about taking a Padawan again. It would be a welcome change to the constant loneliness that plagued him.  
  
Without realizing it, Qui-Gon wandered into the large garden outside the palace of Luzick. A sea of beautiful flowers and plants of nearly every color greeted his eyes. He recognized a few of the plants, but the majority was unfamiliar and most likely native to Luzick. The garden was teeming with life, which he assumed was the reason that he was drawn to it. He walked through endless rows of flowers and plants he smiled again as fragrances typical of the outdoors filled his senses and intensified the beauty around him.  
  
As he walked through the rows of plants toward the rear of the garden, he could hear the gentle trickle of a small stream flowing through the garden dividing it into two separate sections. Qui-Gon sensed a presence with a strong Force signature not far from the stream. He used the Force to guide him hoping that he would find a Jedi Knight that he could speak with and learn what he had missed since he had left the Temple. He found a boy sleeping on the soft grass underneath a large tree with bright mint colored leaves that created a canopy over the youngster. The young one appeared to be about eleven or twelve years old. His grimy threadbare clothes looked like Jedi tunics and Qui-Gon wondered why the boy wore them. Behind his right ear hung a length of braided hair and although much of the braid had begun to unravel, it was a Padawan braid.  
  
As Qui-Gon watched the steady rise and fall of the lad's chest, he wondered what had happened to him and his Master. Taking a deep breath, Qui-Gon stepped away from the tree he stood next to and slowly approached the boy. The noise of the stream partially blocked out the sounds of the small creatures that lived there.  
  
A few feet away from the young man he noticed a pair of blue/green eyes staring up at him. "I don't have any credits," the boy told him. Fear was evident in his eyes, which suddenly seemed to change to a gray color and he spoke with an accent that Qui-Gon did not recognize.  
  
"I don't want credits," Qui-Gon assured him. "I just want to talk."  
  
"I don't want to talk," the boy retorted as he quickly sat up keeping his eyes locked on Qui-Gon's. He was obviously prepared to run away if Qui-Gon came any closer.  
  
"That's ok. I can talk enough for both of us." The former Jedi put his hands out in front of him and took a step backward in an offer of peace. "My name is Qui-Gon Jinn; what is your name?"  
  
The boy's only reply was a defiant stare directed at the older man and it seemed to go right through Qui-Gon.  
  
"You don't have to tell me your name. I was once a Jedi Master. Do you have a Master?"  
  
"I'm not a slave! I'm not your slave or anyone else's either," the boy yelled, as he jumped to his feet and ran. He dashed through the stream toward the forest behind the garden. Qui-Gon started to follow the boy; but he decided instead to return to his small cargo ship and use the comm. Unit.  
  
******  
  
Ben raced through the lines of growth where he had come for shelter on many nights. The garden had become a home to him recently; a place his enemies usually avoided, which meant security for him. He dashed through the stream that provided his drinking water and continued his headlong flight toward the forest behind it.  
  
He did not want to lose his new found home, but he would not allow the tall man to take him away to be a slave. He knew that living in the streets, slowly starving to death was better than living as a slave.  
  
As he ran zigzagging between trees and bushes of various shapes and sizes, he was aware when his new enemy no longer followed him. He was unsure how or why he knew that no one pursued him but he turned his head to look behind him as though to reinforce the knowledge he had. He was alone in the woods except for the creatures that lived there. The boy slowed to a leisurely jog, as he tried to remember if he had ever seen the tall man with long brown hair before.  
  
His jog soon turned into a walk, as he pushed his body to continue through the shadows the awning-like treetops had created. Sweat trickled down the side of the youngster's face, as he reached into his single intact pocket and pulled out his only friend. His friend was a Diamp, a small creature resembling a tiny pale green space slug, small enough to fit in the palm of a human hand. Ben had named the small creature Cyjeun. Cyjeun, meaning savior in some other language that he could not remember, nor could he remember how he knew what the word meant.  
  
"Hello Cyjeun. Did you rest well? I'm sorry if I woke you when I ran, but I had to get us away from that man." Ben caressed the creature's miniature head and body with a dirt-covered finger. "I won't let them hurt you, I promise you."  
  
***********************  
  
As Qui-Gon sat down in the pilot's seat, he prepared himself to see a familiar face, one that he had not seen in over two years. The holographic image of Jedi Master Mace Windu appeared before him, and Qui-Gon took a long deep breath.  
  
"Qui-Gon," the bald headed dark skinned human said. Although the man had not changed in the two and a half years since Qui-Gon had last seen him, his face did. His normal calm expression was replaced with a full grin upon recognition. "It's good to see you again my friend."  
  
Qui-Gon nodded, "It's good to see you as well Mace. How are you?"  
  
"Good, how are you? We haven't heard from you in so long we thought that something might have happened."  
  
The former Jedi chuckled, "I'm good. I'm thinking about returning to the Temple. This isn't a social transmission though; I need to know if you have had any missing Padawans in the last few months, a year at most?"  
  
"There are a couple Padawans unaccounted for; why?" Mace asked, becoming serious again.  
  
"I'm on the planet Luzick and I believe that I have just found one. He wore a tattered tunic and had a Padawan braid."  
  
"He?" Mace asked lost in thought.  
  
"Yes, his hair was longer than the normal Padawan cut, but I'm assuming that it has grown since he has left the Temple."  
  
"Last month Master Craxon and his Padawan were killed in an explosion on Leva IV. His Padawan's remains were not found. Padawan Trently has been missing for two months now after going on his first solo mission; he is presumed dead. Master Oxane died on the planet Phindar; his Padawan has been missing ever since. That was nearly six months ago, like Padawan Trently he is presumed dead.  
  
"Phindar isn't too far from where I am," Qui-Gon thought aloud.  
  
"I don't think you could have found Padawan Kenobi although his death was not confirmed. A witness has come forward claiming that Obi-Wan disappeared into thin air moments after his heart stopped beating at the Medical center. You know as well as I do that some Jedi especially those who are strong in the unifying Force can do that when they die," Mace told him. Qui- Gon noticed his friend's expression change to one of sadness as he spoke of the Padawan.  
  
"Obi-Wan Kenobi?" he inquired. Qui-Gon suddenly remembered the name of the boy that Yoda had told him about. Yoda said that the initiate would meet with grave consequences after Qui-Gon's decision to leave the Order.  
  
"Did you know him?" Mace asked.  
  
"No, I remember Master Yoda spoke of him once," he answered evasively.  
  
The image of Mace nodded, "Did you speak with the Padawan?"  
  
"Not much. I told him I was once a Jedi Master and I asked him who his Master was. He replied that he would not be my slave and was not a slave for anyone before he ran away. He was scared, that much was clear."  
  
"What did he look like?" Mace questioned, his hands steepled in front of his chin, in his usual manner that brought many memories to Qui-Gon's mind.  
  
"He was human; he had dark hair, blue/green eyes that changed to gray when he was frightened. He had a cleft chin and he spoke with an unfamiliar accent." Qui-Gon watched as the other man's face changed to one of recognition.  
  
"It sounds like you're describing Obi-Wan Kenobi. Qui-Gon, I want you to find the boy and bring him back to the Temple. Since you're returning to the Order, you can consider this your first mission," Mace told him easily slipping into a Jedi Council mode.  
  
"Yes Mace, but I don't think the boy will come willingly."  
  
"Bring him against his will if you have to. You must bring him back here."  
  
"I will," Qui-Gon nodded.  
  
"May the Force be with you," Mace told him, ending the transmission.  
  
******  
  
For the first time in at least six months, Qui-Gon called on the Force to guide him to the boy whom he found inside a small restaurant in the busiest section of the Luzane City. He decided that since he had not eaten all day, he would go inside and get something.  
  
Qui-Gon entered the eatery and used the Force to search the dining area for the child. He sat down at a corner table just inside the entryway on the right of the dining area. He could sense a Force signature in the shadows near the entrance to the kitchen. The lad was using the Force so that no one in the kitchen would notice him standing there.  
  
Qui-Gon frowned. He suspected the boy was going to steal food from the restaurant. The lad carefully watched a young couple that sat not far from where he hid. Qui-Gon wondered fleetingly if he would have to protect the couple from the youngster. The couple appeared nearly ready to leave. As if to confirm his assumption, the couple stood up from the table and walked away from it. They paid their bill at the front of the dining room then exited toward the street.  
  
Qui-Gon watched as the boy glanced around obviously checking to see if anyone was looking at him. Satisfied that no one was watching, the boy stepped out of the shadows and walked slowly past the table that the young couple had just vacated. If Qui-Gon had not been watching the boy so closely, he would have missed him removing something from the table with laser fast reflexes.  
  
As the boy walked toward the door unnoticed by the other patrons or employees, Qui-Gon stood up and started to follow him. The growl of his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten or even ordered any food before he had to leave. He could only hope that the young one would not attack the young couple. He had seen the hope hidden beneath the dark depths of Mace's eyes as he realized that Qui-Gon might have found Padawan Kenobi. He did not want to return a criminal to the temple.  
  
Once outside, Qui-Gon was relieved that the lad turned in the opposite direction than the one taken by the couple. He finally noticed the young people walking hand in hand down the street toward the hangar where his small freighter rested. The boy turned to see Qui-Gon leave the building after him and the child began to run. Qui-Gon groaned inwardly and began to run after him. "Wait boy, Obi-Wan!" The youngster didn't seem to have any reaction to his use of the missing Padawan's name. He just continued to run. The kid was fast, but his shorter legs could not compete with Qui- Gon's longer ones.  
  
Qui-Gon could not believe that a Jedi, no matter how bad his circumstances were, would steal. The boy turned down an alley away from the people and speeders in the streets. He kicked over a stack of crates with his foot and pounded down the alley. The crates crashed to the ground in front of the former Jedi forcing him to slow somewhat before he leaped over them.  
  
He raced after the boy but the youngster ran out of the alley and into the path of a speeder traveling down the adjacent street.  
  
Qui-Gon could only watch in horror as the speeder collided with the young one sending him flying through the air. Time seemed to slow to a stand still as he watched the youth land across the street near an old abandoned building in a heap of cast off clothing.  
  
"No," Qui-Gon rumbled rushing to the boy's side. He knelt down beside the young man who lay motionless on the side of the dirt-covered street. His breath came out in ragged gasps as blood covered the side of his left cheek. The boy stared up at him; fear clouded his gray pain filled eyes.  
  
"Cyjeun," the youngster rasped. Gray eyes still locked with sapphire ones, seemed to plead for help. Qui-Gon then noticed the young one reach into his pocket, and pulled out a small slug like creature before losing consciousness.  
  
Qui-Gon stared at the boy and then the slug quizzically. Cyjeun was a word from an outer rim system that meant savior. Did the child think he was his savior? 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Qui-Gon gently took the small creature in his large hand. The tiny creature was Force sensitive and he was aware of its fear. It was not injured, but it seemed to know that the boy was. He carefully slipped the little slug into one of his pockets as the pilot of the speeder approached them.  
  
"Stupid kid wrecked my speeder," the stout pallid-skinned man roared. The man's face was red and his fists were clenched into balls at his sides. He surveyed the damages to his vehicle for a moment before he whirled around to face Qui-Gon and the unconscious child. His beady gray eyes were full of antagonism as he glared at them.  
  
"He's injured; so leave him alone," snapped the elderly woman standing next to the pile of cast off rags near where the youngster lay.  
  
"He's just a homeless brat who dented my speeder. He has no business running through the streets like that, or even being on this planet in the first place. I'm going to drag his worthless hide to the authorities. They've warned him before; now he will be taken off the streets and put behind bars where he belongs." The man looked away from the old woman and stepped toward Qui-Gon.  
  
The Jedi quickly stood, "You will not touch this boy," Qui-Gon ordered the man. He stared down into angry eyes before he continued, "I'm a Jedi Master and this boy is coming to Coruscant with me."  
  
"You don't look like a Jedi to me, old man."  
  
"I'm undercover. Now leave or I'll report you to the local authorities for interfering with official Jedi business."  
  
"Just keep that brat away from me," the man growled. His frazzled gray/brown hair blew across his face as he spun around to examine the damages to his slightly dented speeder.  
  
Qui-Gon watched him climb back into the speeder and leave before turning his attention back to the youngster who was now awake and trying to get up. Bending down on one knee, the Jedi scooped the child up into his arms, mindful of the boy's injuries and the small creature nestled in the warmth of his inner shirt pocket.  
  
"Please sir, I can't b-be a slave," the boy rasped. Again fear clouded the young one's beautiful eyes.  
  
"I'm not going to make you a slave, Obi-Wan. I'm going to take you home," he assured him as he sent waves of calm to the lad through the Force. He carried the protesting child through the busy streets of Luzick City.  
  
"Home?" Ben questioned. "I. I don't have a home; and who is Obi-Wan?"  
  
He looked into Ben's now calm blue/green eyes. Mace had seemed positive that this boy was the missing Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had not admitted it, but Qui-Gon had noticed a momentary spark of hope in the Council member's dark eyes when they had discussed the Padawan.  
  
"I suppose I thought you were someone else," Qui-Gon told him. The child's pain filled eyes glared at him.  
  
"You m-made me get hit by a speeder because you thought I was someone else," he closed his eyes against the pain that assaulted his body.  
  
"I did not cause you to run away from me. If you would have spoken to me, you would not have been injured."  
  
"If you're looking for s-someone else, why don't you put me down and go find this Obi-Wan person?"  
  
"I'm going to take you to the healers. You have three broken ribs, two bruised ribs, and numerous cuts and bruises."  
  
"No you can't. They won't heal me," he pleaded. "I'll be fine on my own, please just." the boy again closed his eyes against the pain. When he opened them again he took a slow haggard breath and continued, "Just let me go. I've been hurt worse than this; I'll be fine."  
  
"You were living under a tree in the garden and stealing. I don't think you were fine. You're afraid of everyone you see."  
  
The boy's eyes widened as he stared up into Qui-Gon's sapphire eyes. "I was hungry. Cyjeon was hungry too. The droids and Luzick's who work there would have thrown it away. It was a perfectly fine piece of bread but I lost it anyway."  
  
Qui-Gon had not seen what the boy had removed from the table. He had assumed that Ben took the credits that the couple left on the table as a tip. "Why won't the healers heal your injuries? It's their job."  
  
"They don't know my name. They know I can't pay them," the youngster sighed. He stared up into the hazy skies above, avoiding the tall man's gaze.  
  
"Why don't you tell them your name?"  
  
"I can't."  
  
"But if you tell them, they can help you. Will you tell me your name?"  
  
"No. I can't tell you or anyone. I don't know it; I don't know my name. All I know is that I woke up on Gala one morning not knowing who I am, or where I came from. I thought if I left Gala I could find a better life, but the ship I snuck on brought me here. All the new pilots here were warned to watch for me trying to hitch a ride with them. No one will hire me because I don't know my name. The authorities want to take me into custody. I heard them tell the bad men the same thing, so I left their facilities and have tried to avoid them."  
  
Qui-Gon stared down at the boy in his arms. Gala was not far from Phindar, where Mace had said Obi-Wan was last seen. "You don't remember anything at all concerning your past?"  
  
"No."  
  
The reinstated Jedi Master nodded, "I can help you." He continued walking past the medical facilities.  
  
"What are you some kind of healer looking for unfortunate people who need help?"  
  
"Not exactly," he chuckled. "My name is Qui-Gon Jinn. I'm a Jedi Master."  
  
"I've read about the Jedi in the Luzick City archives. They're like the authority here, right?"  
  
"No, the Jedi are keepers of the peace. We help people. I think you might be one of our missing Jedi Padawan's named Obi-Wan Kenobi."  
  
"Padawan?"  
  
"A Padawan is an Apprentice; a student who is taught to be a Jedi Knight." The young one nodded his head and again closed his eyes against the pain.  
  
"We're not far from my ship where I can begin healing your injuries. The Temple Healers can heal the rest."  
  
"Just give me something for the pain and I'll be fine. I don't need to go with you to your temple."  
  
"But we can help you to find out who you are. If you are the missing Padawan, you belong at the Temple," Qui-Gon assured him as he walked into the hangar where he had left his ship. If the child agreed with Qui-Gon he did not comment.  
  
*******************************  
  
Qui-Gon healed the worst of the boy's injuries and helped him to wash away some of the grime covering his small thin body. He left the youngster to finish washing and dressing in the oversized clothing he had loaned him. Ben had fallen asleep on the vessel's only sleep couch before he finished fastening all the clasps on the shirt, leaving a smiling Qui-Gon to consider both the child and his circumstances  
  
The Jedi's grin turned into a frown as he looked at Ben's pale skin visible through the opening of the garment. He could see the outline of each of the boy's ribs. Many bruises marred his flesh, some old and some new.  
  
With a sigh, the Jedi laid a blanket over the young one, turned down the lighting, leaving the tiny resting area to return to the cockpit. He wanted to leave Luzick while his guest was still asleep. He knew the boy would be angry when he woke, but he decided to worry about it later.  
  
Qui-Gon remembered Master Yoda's comments about his leaving the order. He couldn't stop thinking it was his fault that Padawan Kenobi was in trouble as just Yoda had foreseen.  
  
There was no substantial evidence that the boy he found was Obi-Wan, but somehow in his heart Qui-Gon knew he was. He felt a strange connection to the youngster that he could not explain. Perhaps it was caused by the guilt he felt that Yoda was right.  
  
As he stared out the view port, he thought about his decision to leave the order. Yoda had been correct, he had run away from the Jedi because he blamed himself for Xanatos' failure.  
  
After giving a Corellian man a ride to Alderaan where his eldest son had been killed after a disagreement over death sticks two weeks ago, Qui-Gon realized he belonged with the Jedi.  
  
The man named Jochs told him that he was very sad to hear of his son's death. The man had always had a sliver of hope that his first-born son would one day turn from his life of crime. He, however, was not surprised when he found out what had happened to his son. Jochs had told Qui-Gon that he realized long ago that some children are destined to be great law abiding citizens, while others no matter how well they are taught, are destined to break the law and do everything their own way. He told him that he had six sons and two daughters and of his eight children, only one was in trouble with the authorities. Two of his kids had even chosen careers in law enforcement and one had chosen politics.  
  
Qui-Gon chuckled as he thought about that day. In just a couple of hours, Jochs was able to do what Master Yoda had tried to do for him years ago. He remembered lying awake that night after dropping the man off on Alderaan and thinking about what Jochs had said.  
  
Qui-Gon realized after comparing the way that he had taught his first Apprentice Annock with Xanatos that they were both trained the same way. Annock was now a Knight; training his own Padawan and he had been eager to learn. He had used Qui-Gon's criticism to improve his forms and lightsaber skills. Xanatos however, was more stubborn; he would rather argue. He had often accused Qui-Gon of expecting the impossible. He now recognized that Annock had always walked the path of light while Xanatos constantly teetered on the edge of the dark side.  
  
When Qui-Gon was forced to kill Xanatos Crion's father, it was the push that sent the young man over the edge, making it impossible for anyone to pull him back.  
  
The returning Jedi had decided to finish his last three jobs and then return to the Order. With Mace Windu's help, he had now begun that path ahead of schedule.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" the boy's voice broke the silence and startled Qui-Gon, who had neither heard nor sensed his approach.  
  
The older man turned to look at the boy, "I'm taking you to Coruscant; to the Jedi Temple."  
  
"By kidnapping me, it is kidnapping when you take someone against their will, isn't it?" the overhead lighting reflected the anguish in the youngster's eyes.  
  
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon sighed deliberately using the missing Padawan's name, "I was told by the Jedi Council to bring you to the Temple. It's a mission."  
  
"A mission," the boy's eyes grew wide, "I'm a mission. What if I'm not this Obi-Wan kid?"  
  
"It doesn't matter; they want to see you regardless. You were most likely a Jedi Padawan before you lost your memory."  
  
"Why didn't you tie me up? Aren't you afraid that I'll try something?"  
  
"No, Qui-Gon answered calmly as he turned back to face the window. His reflection shimmered in the view port giving the child a view of his emotionless features.  
  
"No?" the boy glared at the back of the Jedi's head.  
  
"No. I can sense a conflict deep inside you. You're afraid to trust me. You're afraid I'm lying and that I only want to hurt you. However, I also sense that part of you is tired of your life, the part that wants to know who you are and where you're from." Qui-Gon watched the boy's image replicated in the window. Surprise, fear, and then a glint of hope crossed his face as he shifted his feet from side to side.  
  
"You can tell the Council that you want to return to Luzick once we reach the Temple, but for now you can join me in the galley for lunch. I don't know about you Obi-Wan but I'm hungry," he said as he stood up and walked toward the exit. He passed the surprised boy and continued toward the galley.  
  
*******************************  
  
Ben quietly followed the tall man to the small kitchenette, but he remained in the doorway leaning against the side of the open door. He silently watched the Jedi pull pots and pans out of the cupboards and start to prepare the meal.  
  
Finally he spoke, "Why do you keep calling me Obi-wan? You don't know that I'm really him?"  
  
"No I don't, but I don't know that you're not him either," Qui-Gon retorted as he glanced back at the boy. "I spoke with Jedi Master Mace Windu and you match Obi-Wan Kenobi's description."  
  
"That doesn't prove anything," Ben commented. He intently watched the older man as he began to stir what he could only describe as mush in a mixing bowl.  
  
"No; it doesn't," Qui-Gon agreed, "But I need to call you something."  
  
Ben sighed, entered the galley, and sat down on one of the chairs at the small table. "When I first arrived on Luzick, an old woman mistook me for her grandson. She called me Benjamin or Ben. She let me stay with her for three days until her daughter showed up and told her I wasn't him. She told the old lady and the authorities that I was conning her grandmother into letting me stay with her. And that I was most likely planning to steal from her," he ran his hands through his auburn hair. "I knew it was too good to be true that I found out who I was on the first planet I reached."  
  
"I'm sorry," Qui-Gon told him.  
  
"How did you heal my injuries?" Ben asked not wanting to talk about the old woman. She had seemed to really care about him, for a couple of days at least. It hurt when she believed that her daughter was right and that his intentions were to deceive her.  
  
"I used the Force."  
  
"The Force?" Ben repeated.  
  
"Yes, it's-"  
  
"I know what it is. I just thought the Jedi had their own healers."  
  
"We do. But we're taught basic healing techniques for when we can't get to a healer in time."  
  
"Oh," the boy said. He stood up and walked away from the galley suspecting Qui-Gon was nearly done preparing the meal. He didn't want to be the way while the man ate.  
  
"Obi-Wan wait," the man called following him out into the corridor, "I thought you were hungry."  
  
"I'm fine," he told him. "Would you stop calling me Obi-Wan? I'm not him, I can't be him."  
  
"Why can't you?"  
  
"I'm not a Jedi, I can't use the Force. Someone once told me I was dressed like a Jedi so I read about them. You might as well take me back now. Or drop me off where ever you have to go, any place is better than where I've been."  
  
"Jedi Knights have had amnesia before. You've forgotten how to use the Force. But you are Force sensitive; I can sense your Force signature. That's how I found you at the diner and also how I first found you in the garden."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Yes, I did. While you were in the restaurant you were using the Force to hide your presence."  
  
"I did, but I don't know how I did it. I don't even remember doing it. If I'm a Jedi, how can I still take part in missions when I can't remember any of it?"  
  
"We'll visit the healers. It's possible that your amnesia is not permanent. Perhaps familiar surroundings will help you to regain your memory."  
  
"What if I never get my memory back? Then I'll be cast out. I'll be on my own again. It would be better to just avoid all the wasted time. You can just drop me off on the next habitable planet."  
  
"Listen to me Obi- Ben. If you are not Obi-Wan Kenobi, or another Padawan, I promise that you and Cyjeon will be well cared for. I will take care of the both of you personally if I have to," the man assured him.  
  
"Cyjeon," Ben repeated. "I thought I lost him when the speeder on Luzick hit me."  
  
The long haired man smiled and reached into his pocket. "He was scared; he knew you were hurt. But I reassured him that you would be fine." When he pulled his hand out of his pocket he held the small slug in his large hand.  
  
"Cyjeon!" Ben smiled and took the creature out of the man's hand, "I thought I lost you. I didn't think I'd see you again."  
  
"Come on, Ben. We still have six hours before we reach Coruscant, I think we should eat. Your friend needs food. I wasn't sure what to feed him and if you don't eat you would not be setting a very good example."  
  
Ben smiled up at the Jedi and nodded. "Thank you for taking care of him and bringing him with you."  
  
Qui-Gon nodded and turned to walk back to the galley.  
  
***************************  
  
Qui-Gon watched silently as Ben fed some of his food to Cyjeon before eating any of it himself. "So how did you come up with his name?"  
  
"I don't remember but Cyjeon means Savior. I thought it was appropriate since he saved my life." Ben smiled fondly down at the tiny creature that still ate some food from his hand. "I was asleep underneath the tree where you found me. It was raining; it had been raining for more than 19 hours. I was already wet, so when the stream began to flood I didn't notice. Cyjeon had climbed up on top of me trying to get out of the water. I felt something on my face, and flung it off. After I realized what happened I rescued him and brought him with me while I tried to find someplace safe to sleep. He's been with me ever since. I let him play in the dirt and trees, but he always comes back to me. I think he likes the warmth of my pocket."  
  
"I'm sure he does," Qui-Gon grinned, "Now eat. I may not be the best cook in the galaxy, but I can handle the basics."  
  
"I'm sure it's fine," Ben reassured him.  
  
******************************  
  
Ben sat quietly in the pilot's seat of the small ship's cockpit. Qui-Gon was still asleep in the back. The vessel seemed oddly familiar, but different at the same time. He wondered if he had ridden in a transport similar to this one before he lost his memory.  
  
In his pocket, he could feel Cyjeon begin to stir. He reached into his pocket and pulled his tiny friend out. "It's about time you woke up," he smiled. "You don't have to worry no matter what this guy has planned for us; I won't let anyone hurt you. I think we can trust him though. If he was really going to hurt us, I think he would have done so by now. And we're still headed toward Coruscant. If he wanted to sell me to slavers he wouldn't go there." Ben gently ran his finger over the rough surface of the creature's torso.  
  
"According to the navicomputer we'll reach Coruscant in an hour. I'm scared of what will happen when we get there. I have a bad feeling about this. Whether I'm this Obi-Wan kid or not, this just doesn't feel right."  
  
Tbc 


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
"Is that the Temple?" Ben asked as he intently studied the large building that quickly grew larger in the cockpit window. The building was a huge ziggurat with five towers extending high into the Coruscant skyline. The structures towered over other buildings causing it to stand out like a single red rose in a field of White Cornine flowers.  
  
"Yes, that's the Temple," Qui-Gon replied.  
  
Ben remembered reading about the Temple and its five spires at the library on Luzick, but he never imagined just how large it would look in person.  
  
"It's the biggest building on the planet," the youngster commented. "Did you grow up there?"  
  
Qui-Gon chuckled, "Yes I was raised there from the time I was a baby." From the pilot's seat, the older man started his decent toward the massive building.  
  
Ben's heart began to beat faster. He could see four humanoid people waiting for them in the landing area. All four wore Jedi robes. One of the people was very small. Ben wondered if it was a child, perhaps a friend of the missing Padawan. He knew that no matter weather he was Obi-Wan or not this would be a very awkward meeting.  
  
Qui-Gon expertly landed his star ship and began to power down the vessel. "Are you ready?" he asked the teenager.  
  
"No, but I don't have a choice do I?" Ben grumbled. He put his hand in the pocket of the oversized clothing that Qui-Gon had loaned him and gently rubbed his finger over the length of Cyjeon's body. The rough texture of the little creature's pale green scales reassured him that at least his friend was still with him.  
  
"Don't worry Obi. Ben, they won't hurt you," Qui-Gon assured him.  
  
"I know," he lied.  
  
********************************  
  
Qui-Gon led the young man out of the ship and down the ramp to where Masters Mace Windu, Adi Gallia, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Yoda stood waiting. Qui- Gon could sense the boy following close behind, his turbulent emotions swirling around him. He sensed relief, anxiety, and fear radiating off Ben.  
  
"Qui-Gon, it's good to see you again," Mace smiled as he greeted his friend.  
  
"It's good to see you in person, Master Windu," Qui-Gon nodded.  
  
When he reached the bottom of the ramp, Qui-Gon stepped aside to let the four Masters see the boy.  
  
Mace looked down at Yoda, while Ki-Adi and Adi shared a glance between themselves.  
  
After a long minute of what Qui-Gon could only call stunned silence, Yoda finally spoke. "Glad I am to see you alive and well Padawan Kenobi," Yoda said taking a step closer to Ben.  
  
"You know me? I'm your missing Padawan?" Ben asked. He seemed as surprised to find out he was the missing Padawan as the others were to discover that he was alive and now safely back at the temple, where he belonged.  
  
"Obi-Wan Kenobi you are," Master Yoda stated.  
  
"Don't you know who you are?" Ki-Adi asked.  
  
"He has amnesia," Qui-Gon informed them.  
  
"Amnesia," Mace repeated and glanced down at Yoda again. The two Council members were obviously communicating through the bond that all Council members shared.  
  
"We are glad to have you back at the temple where you belong Obi-Wan," Adi assured him.  
  
Ben looked up at Qui-Gon who watched Mace's reaction carefully. The tall man put his hand reassuringly on the boy's shoulder and sent waves of reassurance to him through the Force.  
  
"Inside we should go," Yoda suggested.  
  
"Yes," Qui-Gon agreed, "I need to take Obi-Wan to the healers."  
  
Yoda nodded glancing up at the boy and then at Qui-Gon, "Clothing that fits also he needs."  
  
"I must go and check on my Padawan," Master Gallia interjected, "I'll send a clean tunic in his size to the healers."  
  
Yoda nodded and the female Council member started to walk toward the entranceway to the temple.  
  
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon began, "This is Master Yoda, Master Ki-Adi Mundi, and Master Mace Windu. They are all members of the Jedi Council."  
  
Obi-Wan anxiously glanced up at Qui-Gon before answering, "It's nice to meet you."  
  
Mace and Yoda once again glanced at one another and then looked at the boy. "We better get you to the healers," Mace finally remarked as he turned to walk toward the same entryway that Adi had used.  
  
******************************  
  
The Jedi Temple was amazing. It was unlike anything that he had ever seen before, or even remembered seeing. None of the buildings on Luzick came close in comparing to the smooth architecture. Obi-Wan thought it looked like something out of a fantasy book that he had seen on Luzick.  
  
As Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon, Yoda, Mace, and Ki-Adi through the corridors of the temple. Other Knights, Masters, and students passed them. They looked at him strangely, some stopping and staring with shocked expressions on their faces. Obi-Wan guessed that they recognized him or perhaps they thought he was a ghost.  
  
The lift tubes were also nicer than those he had had an opportunity to ride in on Luzick. He noted that their construction was of a higher quality than on the other planet. He could not believe that he used to live here.  
  
During most of their journey through the building, the four Jedi who walked with Obi-Wan discussed what Qui-Gon had missed during his time away from the Temple. Obi-Wan wondered if the tallest of the quartet had been on a long mission.  
  
The doors to the healing wing slid open just as the lift tube finally came to a halt. Obi-Wan was reluctant to enter the medical ward and tried to edge toward the rear of the group.  
  
"Qui-Gon Jinn," the Twi'lek healer smiled as he noticed the new arrivals to the medical area of the Temple. "It is good to see you again. What's wrong?"  
  
Obi-Wan watched the longhaired man smile at the healer. "Healer Grien, you're still here, I would have thought you would have retired by now after all your complaining about grumpy patients."  
  
"As I recall you were the grumpiest, Qui."  
  
"Healer Grien, while Master Jinn was away from the Temple he found your second grumpiest patient," Ki-Adi interrupted the two men.  
  
The healer looked at Master Mundi and then looked down at the teenager that stood partially hidden behind Qui-Gon and gasped. "By the stars, it's Obi- Wan Kenobi. You were one of my most frequent visitors; I knew that you could not die on me so soon. You would have left me without grumpy patients since Master Jinn had left the Temple."  
  
Obi-Wan looked at the healer and then up at Qui-Gon. "Was I a bad Jedi?" he asked.  
  
"What?" Healer Grien asked confusion evident in his eyes.  
  
"You said I was your most frequent visitor. Was I a bad Jedi that I got hurt so often?"  
  
"Obi-Wan has lost his memory, Healer. He doesn't remember his life as a Jedi," Qui-Gon explained.  
  
"Oh! Obi, you were a very good Padawan. You were rarely here because of injuries," the healer said kneeling down at eye level to speak with the lad. "You have Orndale disease, which was the cause for most of time you spent here," Healer Grien assured him.  
  
Qui-Gon looked at the healer and then at Obi-Wan. He had never heard of the disease. He hoped that there were no complications due to Obi-Wan's inability to get proper medical attention.  
  
"Orndale disease," Obi-Wan repeated, "What's that?"  
  
"Oh, don't worry Obi; it's not a serious disease, as long as you take your medication. Without the medication, you may sleep more than usual, feel tired more often, and you almost never feel hungry. Of course because they do not feel hungry, most carriers of the disease do not eat. Some have skipped meals for so long they have eventually died of starvation. And of course, skipping meals causes stomach pains, numerous headaches, and feelings of weakness."  
  
"Don't worry Obi-Wan. Healer Grien and I will make sure you are ok and start giving you your medication immediately," A beautiful female girl with strawberry blonde hair told him. She wore a tunic similar to the one the healer was wearing.  
  
"Thank you Lorna. Obi, this is my Padawan Lorna Kiu. She will assist me in examining you. If the Masters will remain in the waiting room, we can get started," Grien suggested and stood up.  
  
Obi-Wan looked up at Qui-Gon. He did not want him to leave him alone with the healer and his Padawan. He suddenly felt afraid, almost as scared as he had felt when he woke up on Gala not knowing who he was or where he belonged. At least this time he knew who and where he was, although he did not feel like he belonged at the Temple. He could not explain it but he had begun to feel a strong connection to Qui-Gon Jinn. Since their arrival at the Temple, he had discovered that he was practically clinging to the man.  
  
"It's ok Obi-Wan, Healer Grien will not hurt you," Qui-Gon calmly reassured him, placing a large hand on his shoulder. "The waiting area is just across the hall. If you need anything, you can come and get me. I promise I will not leave the area." Obi-Wan nodded meekly. Qui-Gon dropped his hand from the boy's shoulder and Obi followed the healer and his Padawan into the examining room. He did not know why the healer and his Padawan made him feel so uncomfortable. He wondered if it could have anything to do with what Healer Grien said about him coming to the healers often.  
  
********************************  
  
"Qui-Gon, where did you say you found Obi-Wan? He looks terrible. He's so thin and pale. His hair is four or five shades darker from dirt and he has bruises everywhere," Ki-Adi declared.  
  
"I found him asleep underneath a tree in a garden on Luzick. He told me he had no memories of anything other than one day waking up without his memory."  
  
"That's very interesting," Mace said as he sat down on one of the chairs. "Obi-Wan's last mission was to the planet Gala, but he and Master Oxane were coerced into going to Phindar instead to help a pair of Phindians. One of them informed us that Obi-Wan had been captured and sent to have his memory wiped. The Phindian said that his brother told Master Oxane and they went to help Obi-Wan. He told us that they were too late; he said that Obi- Wan did not survive the procedure. A blaster shot to the chest killed Oxane. The Phindian told us that Oxane was shot when he tried to rescue Obi- Wan."  
  
"Apparently his mind was wiped but he was not killed," Qui-Gon commented.  
  
"Why would they lie about it?" Ki-Adi wondered aloud.  
  
"Unknown it is. Concerned right now what to do with Padawan Kenobi I am. Investigation of events that transpired on Phindar worry about later I will," Yoda said from a chair near Mace.  
  
"What do you mean what to do with him?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
"A Master the boy no longer has. Time it will take to prepare a room for him in the initiates' dorm. Place to stay the boy needs," the wise old Master explained.  
  
"He can stay with me," Qui-Gon volunteered without hesitation.  
  
"Concerned I am, that attached to the boy you have become Qui-Gon," Yoda closed his eyes, appearing deep in thought.  
  
"I don't see why the concern. The boy's not a threat," Qui-Gon said.  
  
"Clouded, the boy's future is. If regain his memory he does not, sent to Agri-Corps, or to a foster home Padawan Kenobi must be."  
  
"Qui-Gon, we researched the memory wipes of Phindar after hearing about what had happened to Obi-Wan. The Phindians are not aware of any way to reverse the effects of the memory wipes. Hopefully our healers will know of something, but you need to be prepared that if the boy can not regain his memory, he can not stay here." Mace explained.  
  
Qui-Gon could not believe that after their reactions at having the youngster back in the Temple again, they would so easily cast him out.  
  
"Easy this decision is not. Necessary it is. Warned you I did, grave consequences to Padawan Kenobi your leaving would have. Greatness he was destined for," Yoda commented, his large eyes still closed.  
  
"Was, you talk like he's dead. He's alive, bruised and malnourished, but he's not dead. On Luzick, he used the Force to hide his presence, to protect himself from individuals who meant to harm him. He was not aware he was doing it but he was using the Force nonetheless."  
  
"See we will what the healers say," Yoda opened his eyes, and studied the tall Master standing next to him.  
  
"Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan can stay in your apartment until other arrangements can be made, but remember it is only on a short-term basis," Ki-Adi Mundi told him.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded as he tried to release his frustration into the Force. He did not want Obi-Wan to sense it. He hoped Master Yoda was wrong. It seemed like terrible a cruel joke for the Force to lead him to the boy and then lose the boy so soon after finding him. At least they would allow Obi-Wan to stay with him. Perhaps if he could introduce him to as many familiar sites as possible Obi-Wan would regain his memory and remain at the Temple.  
  
*****************************************  
  
"Obi-Wan," Healer Grien said, "I can see that you haven't been eating very much. Don't worry it is expected since you haven't been able to take your medication."  
  
"It's not easy to eat when you don't have any food and no credits to buy it with," Obi-Wan commented, sarcasm dripping from each word. He was already feeling very uncomfortable sitting in the examining room.  
  
"Well despite the memory loss you're still very sarcastic when you have to come here. That's interesting."  
  
"I'm glad I can entertain you."  
  
"Obi, try to remember the last time you ate anything please."  
  
"It was on Qui-Gon's ship, about six hours ago."  
  
The healer nodded, "And how much did you eat?"  
  
"More than I wanted to," Obi-Wan admitted. "Qui-Gon wouldn't let me leave the galley until I ate half of what he put on the plate. He's not as good a cook as he would have you believe."  
  
Grien chuckled, "I'm glad that I've never had to eat his cooking then."  
  
Padawan Lorna shook her head at the two males. "What would Master Jinn say if he was here right now?"  
  
"He would probably tell me that I don't cook any better," Grien winked at Obi-Wan.  
  
The Healer mended Obi-Wan's ribs with the Force, ran numerous scans, took blood samples, and put bacta patches on his cuts and scrapes. Obi-Wan noted that the healer seemed to focus the scans mainly on his head.  
  
"Well, that's all I can do for now. You can use the bathroom across the hall to clean up and put on the clean clothes that Master Gallia sent here for you, while I speak with the Masters in the waiting room."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, took the clothes from the table in the corner of the room, and walked across the hall to the bathroom. Before getting into the shower, Obi-Wan took Cyjeon out of his pocket and put him into the pocket of the clean tunic. Obi-Wan had not had a shower since he had left the old woman's care.  
  
***********************************  
  
Qui-Gon sat on a waiting room chair anxiously waiting for the healer's report. He was worried about the boy, more worried than he should have been. It was a routine examination, but the look of terror in the boy's eyes as he followed the healer into the examining room was heart wrenching.  
  
Yoda and Mace sat in the same seats as when they had first entered the waiting room. They were both meditating and Ki-Adi Mundi was reading a datapad.  
  
Suddenly Qui-Gon sat up straighter. He had seen Healer Grien escort Obi-Wan to the bathroom before the healer turned to come to the waiting room. Qui- Gon stood up as the healer entered the room, his Padawan following close behind him. Mace and Yoda had sensed the healers approach and had awakened from their meditations and were getting up.  
  
"Healer Grien," Qui-Gon said, "What did you find out?"  
  
"I've finished my examination of Obi-Wan. I healed his ribs and put bacta patches on his cuts. He was severely malnourished but considering that he has been unable to take his medication for sometime, he is doing much better than I would have expected. If he strains himself too much he may feel a little pain or tightness in his chest from his ribs."  
  
"What about his memory loss?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
"I did not find any sign of a head injury that might have caused it. I would guess it was caused by a traumatic occurrence, perhaps the same something that caused the scars and bruising on his body."  
  
"We have reason to believe that while on his last mission he had his memory wiped on Phindar," Mace explained.  
  
"I see," the healer replied.  
  
"Will he regain his memory?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
"I don't know. With some cases of amnesia, the patients sometimes regain their entire memory by seeing familiar faces or surroundings. Sometimes only some of their memory returns and then there are other instances where the patient's memories never return. I don't know what method was used to make Obi-Wan lose his memory. I can't say with any certainty whether he will ever regain any of his memory. The memory wipe was obviously designed to remove all of his memories; therefore, I assume that he will not regain them. I'm sorry."  
  
To Be Continued.. 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
Padawan Lorna showed Qui-Gon how to administer the medication and instructed him on how often to give it to Obi-Wan.  
  
Qui-Gon escorted Obi-Wan to his apartment. "Wow this is nice, you have everything in here. There's a place to sit and relax, separate rooms to sleep in, and your own kitchen. Are all the apartments similar to this one or just the Masters'," Obi-Wan inquired. He looked around the room surveying the various decorative items. The room was clean and neat, but it looked as if no one had lived there for a while. He stared at the few holocubes that rested on Qui-Gon's shelves against a small section of the wall that separated two closed doors.  
  
"All the apartments are basically the same, aside from the furnishings. You can decorate your room, as you like while you're here. The room to your right is my sleep room and to your left is your room," he explained to the awe-struck boy, who immediately opened the door to examine his room.  
  
"I get my own room?" the teenager asks in wide-eyed disbelief. "This is amazing; it has a sleep couch, my own sleep couch. I won't have to sleep on the floor or the ground. This room is wonderful and there's a closet too," he grinned pushing a button causing the doors to slide effortlessly apart. "I can't imagine having enough clothing to fill it. There's a chest of drawers to put even more clothes in, a desk for kids who go to classes. This is nicer than the old woman's apartment. Her place was always cold at night; sometimes I think it was warmer outside."  
  
"The heating unit is right here next to the door, so if you're cold you can adjust the room temperature. As long as you live here you will attend classes. You will have to take a placement exam to determine your correct level of learning and once that level is determined, you will receive assignments accordingly"  
  
"I get to go to classes like a normal boy," he looked at Qui-Gon. The man did not think the boy's eyes could get any wider until that moment. "This is better than I imagined," Obi-Wan grinned. "I never went to classes before, well not that I remember anyway."  
  
Qui-Gon grinned at the boy's enthusiasm. "Would you like a tour of the temple?" Since Obi-Wan had showered at the healers, he noticed that he almost looked like a different person. His hair was a light reddish brown color and his skin was pale without the layer of dirt covering it. His bruises showed up more predominately against his pallid skin.  
  
"Yeah, that would be great," Obi-Wan smiled.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded, "We'll start with the class rooms and the training rooms," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan nodded and followed the tall Jedi to the door.  
  
**************************  
  
"I saw a ghost," Garen Muln related as he sat beside his friends Reeft and Bant Eerin at a small round table in the Temple cafeteria.  
  
"What do you mean," Reeft asked between bites of last meal.  
  
"Do you remember I had to go to the healers today for my annual check up?" Garen asked.  
  
"Yes," Bant nodded swirling her fork through her bowl of stew.  
  
"Well, when I was leaving the healers on my way to the lift tube, I saw Masters Yoda, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Windu walking toward the healers. Behind them I saw Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and. I. I saw Obi-Wan," he stammered knowing his friends would not believe him.  
  
"Garen, Obi-Wan is dead. You're not funny. How could you make up something like that?" Bant glared at him. She jumped to her feet causing her chair to topple over in her haste. She quickly walked away from the table and headed toward the door.  
  
"Why did you do that? She has just started to accept that he is gone," Reeft glared at Garen then back toward his friend hurrying toward the exit.  
  
"I saw him Reeft, his hair was longer and he was thinner, but I know it was him. Whether or not he is a ghost, I don't know. I don't think a ghost would have looked different from the last time we." Garen stopped mid sentence as he noticed Bant standing motionless near the exit staring at the tall man and boy that had just entered the cafeteria.  
  
*******************************  
  
"This place is like an entire city all by itself. There are even gardens and fountains inside. I can't believe I used to live here," Obi-Wan glanced back and forth as he and Qui-Gon walked toward the cafeteria.  
  
Qui-Gon chuckled, "I guess it is. This is the cafeteria," he waved his hand toward the doorway ahead of them.  
  
"Cafeteria, why do you need a cafeteria if you have a kitchen?" the youngster asked as they entered the dining hall. A Young Mon Calamari female was about to exit as they entered. With a gasp the girl froze and stared open mouthed at Obi-Wan, the piece of muja fruit that she had been holding dropped soundlessly to the floor. Obi-Wan suddenly felt uncomfortable under the girl's gaze and unconsciously backed up looking up to Qui-Gon for assistance. A single tear began to trickle down the girl's face.  
  
Before Qui-Gon could say anything, two boys rushed up beside the girl also staring at him. "Obi-Wan?" the human boy finally questioned tentatively. The boy looked frightened that Obi-Wan might disappear when his name was uttered aloud.  
  
Obi-Wan took another step backward as Qui-Gon said, "Hello, I'm Qui-Gon Jinn. Do you know Obi-Wan?"  
  
"No!" Bant exclaimed, "He can't be Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan is dead. He left us on a mission; he never said good bye. My friend would not have left without saying goodbye, if he wasn't really dead," she ended her tirade by screaming at Obi-Wan and quickly running out of the cafeteria.  
  
"Bant!" the human called after her. He hesitated not knowing if he should chase after the girl or stay and find out if this was really Obi-Wan Kenobi standing in front of him.  
  
"Are you really Obi-Wan?" Reeft asked. Garen was unable to leave or even to move; his desire to find out who this boy before him really was took priority in his befuddled mind.  
  
Obi-Wan noticed that everyone in the cafeteria had turned to stare at him and he felt even more uncomfortable. On Luzick he had avoided other people as much as possible. He did not like being the center of everyone's attention. "According to the Masters and healers I am," he finally answered hesitantly.  
  
He watched the human and the other boy, whom he didn't recognize, exchange glances. "You were presumed dead," Reeft told him.  
  
"I think we should go someplace to talk," Qui-Gon suggested. The two boys once again glanced at one another and then finally nodded in unison.  
  
Qui-Gon led the two Padawans and Obi-Wan through the corridors to an empty meditation room.  
  
"Where have you been," Reeft asked suddenly looking at Obi-Wan. "You look terrible."  
  
"Reeft," Garen said glowering at his friend. "We're glad you're back. So is Bant, she was just surprised to see you alive."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded. He stood close to Qui-Gon, closer than he had willingly dared to stand since the older man had found him. A part of him was glad the boy accepted him now. The other part was frightened because he had not recognized the Padawans who were obviously his friends.  
  
"I was on Gala then on Luzick," the scared teen told the other boys.  
  
"But Master Windu said that your Master was found on Phindar," Reeft blurted out earning another glare from Garen.  
  
"My Master, I have a Master," Obi-Wan asked looking up at Qui-Gon.  
  
Garen and Reeft looked at each other again confused by their friend's reaction.  
  
"Obi-Wan has no memory of anything before he woke up on Gala," Qui-Gon hastened to explain in an attempt to ignore Obi-Wan's question. He did not know how to tell the boy that his Master was dead.  
  
"The memory wipe?" Garen's eyes grew wide as he looked from Qui-Gon to Obi- Wan.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded. "It seems that his memory was wiped, but the Phindians lied to us about his death and dropped him off on Gala without his memory to help him."  
  
"So you don't remember us?" Reeft asked.  
  
"No. Who are you?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"I'm Reeft, this is Garen Muln, and Bant Eerin was the one who ran out of here. We were your best friends."  
  
"Still are," Garen corrected him.  
  
Obi-Wan nodded glancing back up to Qui-Gon. "Why don't the three of you go to the cafeteria and eat while you get reacquainted. I have to visit someone," Qui-Gon suggested.  
  
Obi-Wan looked to him with fearful eyes, silently begging the older man not to leave his side.  
  
"Obi-Wan, you're safe here in the Temple. No one will hurt you." Qui-Gon watched as the youngster slid his hand slowly inside his pocket before reluctantly nodding his head. He had noticed that when Obi-Wan was frightened or uncomfortable with a situation, he sought reassurance from his tiny friend inside his pocket.  
  
*********************  
  
Qui-Gon walked into The Room of A Thousand Fountains and reached out with the Force seeking the girl that Reeft had called Bant.  
  
He was sure that a lot of his friends had similar feelings when he had decided to leave the order two years ago. He had kept in touch with Master Tahl. She had been angrier than Master Yoda had been with him for leaving. She told him the same things that Yoda had told him. They were both right, but he was not ready to hear the truth of their words at the time.  
  
Qui-Gon could sense someone in the pond near the waterfalls. He quickened his pace and headed in the direction of the pond. He had been right in assuming that the Mon Calamari girl would seek solace at the pond found in the Room of A Thousand Fountains.  
  
He sat down at the side of the pond and watched her swim gracefully through the water. When the young girl poked her head out of the clear liquid for a breath of air, she noticed Qui-Gon sitting at the edge of the pond and she stared up at him for a moment.  
  
"He's dead. I don't know what kind of sick joke you're trying to play, but he's gone. That boy is not Obi-Wan." He noticed the hitch in her voice as she spoke.  
  
Qui-Gon could see the girl's quivering hands as she waded in the water. "Bant, after believing he was dead for so long it must be hard to see him again, but he is really Obi-Wan."  
  
"I didn't believe that he was dead at first. I didn't want to believe it without seeing a body. As the days and weeks turned into months, I realized that it was true that he wasn't coming back. I know if he was still alive he would have found away to come back to us," Bant said and began to slowly make her way toward the Master.  
  
"I know it is hard to accept, but he is alive and he needs your help."  
  
Bant sat down in the green grass a few feet away and looked up at him, "My help," she repeated.  
  
"Yes. When I found Obi-Wan he was scared of everyone including me. He has no memory of his life as a Jedi. Apparently his memory was wiped, but the Phindians lied about his death. He needs your help to remember his past. I didn't know him before he lost his memory so I will not be of much help to him. I'm hoping that familiar sites and perhaps if you, Garen and Reeft would remind him of his life before, it might trigger the return of his memory. Will you help us?"  
  
"He's really alive and he's here at the temple?" Bant questioned her voice barely audible.  
  
"Yes, he is. Masters Windu, Yoda, and Healer Grien have confirmed that he really is Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said.  
  
"Where is he?" the girl asked shyly.  
  
"He's in the cafeteria eating lunch with your friends. I asked them to make sure that he eats. I think he might be too frightened to eat though."  
  
"He uses any excuse he can think of not to eat," Bant commented. "Master Oxane used to always ask me and Garen to make sure he ate too."  
  
"Yes, Healer Grien told me about his illness."  
  
"Are you taking care of Obi-Wan now? Are you going to be his new Master?"  
  
"I don't know. We have to see if he regains his memory, before we can be certain of exactly what will happen."  
  
Bant nodded, "Well Reeft is always looking for food that others don't finish so he won't be much help and sometimes Garen has trouble getting Obi- Wan to eat, so I better go make sure that he eats."  
  
Qui-Gon nodded with a smile as Bant stood up and walked toward the exit. Qui-Gon could only hope that the three students could help Obi-Wan to regain his memory.  
  
To Be Continued.. 


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
  
"Qui-Gon Jinn, you really are back," Master Tahl said with a large smile as the doors to her apartment slid open, giving the man his first glimpse of his old friend in two years. She looked just as he remembered except now her eyes were sightless.  
  
"Yes, I'm back to stay," he confided.  
  
"You are?" She raised an eyebrow as she stepped aside to let him enter. "I thought you were just returning the missing Padawan."  
  
"I had planned on returning after finishing my next job, but since I'm already here, I thought that someone else could finish the job. I'm surprised that they didn't assign another Master/Padawan team to my apartment."  
  
"I guess Yoda believed you when you said you would return," Tahl said staring at his chest.  
  
"So how are you?" Qui-Gon asked. The last time he spoke with her, she had told him about losing her sight on a mission to Melida/Dann.  
  
"I'm fine, I can still do research and go on missions Qui-Gon, if that's what you're asking," Tahl observed.  
  
"I know you can still function as a Jedi. I meant how do you feel? I haven't seen you or talked to you privately for two years," Qui-Gon assured her.  
  
"I'm fine," she sighed. "So you found Obi-Wan Kenobi. How is he? Master Yoda was very upset when we thought that he had become one with the Force."  
  
"He's all right, I guess. He has no memory of his Jedi training or any part of his past life other than waking up one day on Gala not knowing his name or anything about his time here at the Temple. He is frightened of almost everything, including the friends he doesn't remember.  
  
"Can you blame him? It would be hard to lose your memory as an adult; it must be even harder when you're so young. I heard a change in your voice as you spoke of him. You have grown fond of the boy haven't you?"  
  
"He's a good kid. He's finally beginning to trust me," Qui-Gon said as he strode across the floor and sat down on the couch.  
  
"Something about the boy is bothering you though," she told him.  
  
"Yes, I'm not optimistic that he will regain his memory. If he doesn't then the Council will send him either to Agri-Corps or to a foster home."  
  
"You're kidding," Tahl commented. "After searching for six months and finally finding him they would just send him away."  
  
"I know; I don't understand it either. But I promised myself that I would help him and I intend to do just that."  
  
"And if he doesn't regain his memory, then what?"  
  
"Then I'll leave and take him with me. I'll take care of him. I can't let them send him to Agri-Corps or push him out to be raised by strangers. He trusts me now. I promised him I would take care of him. I can't betray his trust by allowing him to be tossed out like a bad piece of fruit."  
  
"Qui-Gon, this has nothing to do with the boy's trust of you. You are fond of him and you don't want to lose him."  
  
Qui-Gon looked at his friend but since he didn't know what to say to her, he decided not to reply. He felt as if Obi-Wan had latched onto a piece of his heart. He was certain there was no place in his heart for anyone and it would remain empty after Xanatos had left. He was not convinced that he wanted to share that with anyone though at least not yet.  
  
"And if he does regain his memory?"  
  
"Then I'll take him as my Padawan and train him to be a Jedi Knight," Qui- Gon told her.  
  
**************************  
  
Obi-Wan wandered through the Temple corridors aimlessly. He was not sure what he should do. Obi-Wan's friends... his friends were nice, but he felt as if he was required to live someone else' life. He didn't remember the three students. They had told him stories of their adventures together and reminded him of things that they used to do together, but he didn't remember any of it.  
  
The female Mon Calamari had come back and told him that she was sorry for yelling and running away from him. He told her it was ok and she smiled, but none of it felt right to him.  
  
"So you really are back," A voice in front of him penetrated his thoughts. Obi-Wan looked up and saw a white haired boy approaching him. "I heard a rumor that you had returned from the dead Oafy-Wan. I liked it better around here when you were dead."  
  
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Don't play dumb Oafy. You should have stayed away. You caused your Master's death, and now you're back. Why? So another Master can take you as a Padawan and you can cause his death too."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about. If you'll excuse me I have to go," Obi-Wan told the boy. He did not know why but the white haired boy gave him a bad feeling. The boy was being cruel, but his time on Luzick had taught him that kids could be very malicious, even worse than the adults. Obi-Wan started down the hall passing in front of the boy.  
  
"Who said you could go anywhere Oafy?" the boy demanded and stuck his foot out causing Obi-Wan to trip and fall to his knees.  
  
"Padawan Chun," a stern voice called from down the hall. "What is going on?" Obi-Wan recognized the man as one of the Jedi he had met when he and Qui-Gon had first landed at the Temple, Ki-Adi-Mundi.  
  
"Master Ki-Adi," the white haired boy began as the Knight moved toward them. "Obi-Wan tripped. I was just about to help him up." The boy extended his hand to Obi-Wan and helped him to his feet.  
  
"Obi-Wan, is that true?" Master Ki-Adi asked studying Obi-Wan's face.  
  
Obi-Wan glanced from the Master to the boy and then nodded his head, "Yes, I wasn't watching where I was going and I tripped."  
  
"Obi-Wan, Jedi do not lie," Ki-Adi, told him studying the boy's expression carefully.  
  
"I'm not a Jedi," Obi-Wan said and continued to move away from them. He once again automatically placed his hand in his tunic pocket and began to rub his little friend's head, as Ki-Adi-Mundi and Padawan Bruck Chun watched him walk away.  
  
Obi-Wan walked toward The Room of a Thousand Fountains. He decided that he would let Cyjeon out to frolic in grass and plants that filled the large room. Maybe they could go swimming in one of the ponds that he had seen earlier when Qui-Gon had shown him around the Temple.  
  
"This place has nicer plants than the entire forests on Luzick did," Obi- Wan said as he lifted the little slug like creature out of his pocket. Obi- Wan knelt down near a bluish green colored bush and let Cyjeon slither off his hand onto the soft grass in front of the bush. The tiny creature seemed glad to be amongst the plant growth. Obi-Wan smiled as he watched him.  
  
"Its nice here, Cyjeon. Qui-Gon is nice, I liked staying in his apartment and sleeping on an actual sleep couch. I felt safe there. I don't know why but I'm starting to feel like I belong here. Even Padawan Chun didn't change that. I still don't think I could be a Jedi though. I can't use a lightsaber and I wouldn't know what to do on one of their missions."  
  
********************** After visiting with Tahl, Qui-Gon had decided to find Obi-Wan and see if he was ok. He could sense the boy's presence in The Room of a Thousand Fountains. He headed in the direction of the large room. He remembered the look of awe that came over his face when he had brought the boy into the room. It did not surprise him when he found the lad sitting on the grass near a bush talking to his pet. He was, however, surprised at the conversation the youngster was having with himself. Obi-Wan had liked staying in his apartment and felt safe there. The boy did not think he could be a Jedi and that worried Qui-Gon. He wondered if Obi-Wan was not trying to regain his memory.  
  
He was about to make his presence known when a tiny female initiate walked up to the boy. Qui-Gon watched the little girl look at the slug that Obi- Wan had been talking to and then up at the boy.  
  
"What is that?" she asked pointing to Cyjeon.  
  
"He's a Diamp. His name is Cyjeon," Obi-Wan reached out and picked up the creature again. "You can touch him," he told her.  
  
The girl slowly reached her hand out and gently touched Cyjeon's back. "He feels rough and bumpy."  
  
Obi-Wan smiled, "That's because of his scales. They protect him."  
  
"He's cute," the girl told him.  
  
"What's your name?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Élan Ryos," she answered, "I'm five."  
  
"Where is your Master?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"No silly," the small girl with shoulder length blonde hair giggled. "I'm not a Padawan yet. " She lifted her hair, "See no braid."  
  
Qui-Gon watched as Obi-Wan smiled down at the little girl who sat beside him. The teen seemed to enjoy talking with her.  
  
"Did you wander away from where you're supposed to be?"  
  
"I came to practice the first form. I can't get it right," Élan frowned, "Then I saw you come in."  
  
"The first form," Obi-Wan said a look of confusion covering his face. "Can you show me?"  
  
The young girl quickly got up and began to run through the first form. Qui- Gon noticed that she had made a mistake common among young initiates. Qui- Gon was about to step out from behind the tree again when Obi-Wan stood up and stepped closer to her.  
  
"You moved your right foot forward," he said. "You must remember to keep your right foot still while you move your left foot and arms. I made the same mistake when I was first learning the form." To Qui-Gon's surprise Obi- Wan stood up and began to flawlessly show the girl the correct way to do the form.  
  
"You do it very well," Élan smiled.  
  
She tried to do the form the way he told her to. Qui-Gon watched and smiled as this time she was able to do the form correctly. He realized that Obi- Wan had remembered at least a little bit of his former life as a Jedi.  
  
"I did it," Élan smiled and wrapped her arms around Obi-Wan giving him a grateful hug. "Thank you so much. You're a good teacher; you'll make a good Master some day."  
  
Suddenly Obi-Wan looked confused but he reluctantly allowed the youngling to hug him. When she pulled away, she told him that she had to go and show the crèche Master that she could now do the form correctly.  
  
"Cyjeon," Obi-Wan sighed and sat down on the ground. "I just did a Jedi thing. I don't know how or what I did though. I didn't know I could do it. When I saw her try to do it, I knew what she was doing wrong. I don't know how I know it though."  
  
Qui-Gon turned away from Obi-Wan and left The Room of a Thousand Fountains. He realized that the boy needed to be alone to think about what had just occurred. He didn't want to push him by asking him a lot of questions if the lad was not yet ready to discuss the events of the last few minutes.  
  
********************  
  
Qui-Gon walked through the corridors slowly making his way to his apartment. He thought about what he had just witnessed and wondered if it meant that the boy would regain his complete memory soon. After Obi-Wan had told the girl what to do and then showed her the correct way to do it, he looked confused.  
  
He was just a few feet away from the door when he heard Master Mace Windu call after him, "Qui-Gon, wait."  
  
He stopped and turned to look at the Council member who was hurrying to catch up to him. "Is something wrong Mace?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
"I need to speak with you about Obi-Wan. Where is he?" Mace inquired.  
  
"He's in The Room of a Thousand Fountains," Qui-Gon told him.  
  
"Good. Let's go to your apartment to talk," Mace suggested.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded, a sinking feeling beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. He keyed in the code to unlock the door and when it slid open, he entered followed by Mace.  
  
"Qui-Gon, we spoke to the Coruscant Foster Child Program. They want to see Obi-Wan before they make arrangements with a family for him. They can help him to begin a new life," Mace told him. "We have an appointment in three days. We have already agreed that Obi-Wan will remain here until they find a family to place him with."  
  
"But he's beginning to remember things," Qui-Gon protested, "I saw Obi-Wan in the Room of A Thousand Fountains helping an initiate by the name of Élan Ryos with the first form. He told her that she was stepping forward with her right foot and then demonstrated the form for her flawlessly. He's obviously beginning to remember some things," Qui-Gon told him.  
  
"When Obi-Wan was her age I helped him with the first form. He had the same problem of moving his right foot forward. Let me know if the boy remembers anything else, but it might be best if you tell him about the appointment, so he knows what to expect if he does not regain anymore of his memory."  
  
Qui-Gon nodded, "I wonder what else Obi-Wan remembers of the forms and Kata?"  
  
"Perhaps we could arrange for him to watch some Initiates or Padawans practice them and see if that sparks his memory," Mace suggested.  
  
Qui-Gon smiled with relief, at least one of the Council members were willing to give Obi-Wan the chance he needed before they shipped him off to live with strangers.  
  
"Qui-Gon," Mace sighed sensing Qui-Gon's surprise and relief. "None of us want to see Obi-Wan leave. But we have limited resources to take care of those who are not able to use the Force. If he remained here without regaining his memory, he would feel left out while his friends were participated in duels, tournaments, and progressed to handling their part of missions."  
  
"I understand that, but what if he's in a foster home and regains his memory? What if he is able to do some things with the Force without knowing or understanding how? He would be confused and could possibly cause trouble to those around him who would not understand."  
  
"Qui-Gon, we could argue the 'what ifs' for hours and still not come to an accord. The Council agrees that if he does not regain his memory, being placed with a foster family will allow him to have a somewhat normal life. Now let's go and find Obi-Wan and see if he remembers anything else," Mace told the tall Jedi.  
  
To be continued... 


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six  
  
He clutched the hilt of his lightsaber, his knuckles white from the pressure. He hid behind a large pile of rocks as he sensed his enemies searching for him. They knew he was near and they wanted nothing more than to see his lifeless, bloodied body sprawled on the cold unforgiving ground. His Master was probably dead. He had not sensed his presence in days.  
  
He hid because, with his injuries, he knew that he could not outrun his enemies. In fact, he could barely walk. He knew there would be no escape for him. There were too many of them and it was just a matter of time before they found him.  
  
Suddenly his attention focused behind him as he heard the frightening sound of a twig snapping. He turned around to determine the source of the sound and discovered that his suspicions were correct. One of the searchers stood there, a blaster aimed at his head. He had never known this kind of fear. It wrapped its hands around his throat and squeezed tight. Breathing became difficult as he stared down the barrel of the weapon. He would not allow himself to die without a fight. He was a Jedi; he would die like a Jedi.  
  
"I'm sorry I failed you Master," he murmured as he summoned all his strength and whirled around while igniting his lightsaber. His sprained ankle was unable to support all of his weight since his other leg had been broken. He lost his balance, falling toward the guard who aimed his blaster at him. Then he heard the sound of a blaster firing...  
  
*****************  
  
"Obi-Wan wake up," Qui-Gon told the sleeping child. He and Mace had found the child on the grass in The Room of a Thousand Fountains. Cyjeon rested on Obi-Wan's chest. The tall Master who crouched beside the boy wondered how the tiny creature could stay on top of the youngster as he thrashed back and forth. "Obi-Wan, wake up, it's ok. It's just a dream."  
  
Suddenly the boy yelled, "Master!" He sat up breathing heavily; his eyes wide open as he looked around. Finally his eyes came to rest on Qui-Gon and then he looked up at Mace Windu who stood behind him.  
  
"You're safe Obi-Wan, it was just a dream," Qui-Gon assured him.  
  
The youngster closed his eyes and took a deep breath unconsciously releasing his fears into the Force. The two Masters looked at one another as they recognized his use of the Force.  
  
"Obi-Wan," Mace said as he crouched down beside the boy too. "What did you dream?"  
  
"I... don't know. I was trying to get away from these men who were chasing me. My leg was broken so I hid behind some rocks."  
  
"Where was your Master?" Mace prodded.  
  
"I don't know. We were separated. I couldn't sense him in the Force. I was terrified. I didn't know how to help him. The men, who were chasing me, found me. One of them had... had a blaster pointed at my head. He... he fired it just as I woke up."  
  
Mace and Qui-Gon shared another glance as Obi-Wan gently picked Cyjeon up from the ground where he fell when the boy sat up. He sat the tiny creature on his leg and gently rubbed his index finger back and forth over his back.  
  
"Obi-Wan, it was just a dream, no one here is trying to kill you," Qui-Gon told him.  
  
"We were wondering if you would like to come with us to the training rooms. Master Qui-Gon told me that you were able to do the first form. If you don't mind I'd like to see what other forms and katas you remember. I believe your friends are there now. Perhaps we could ask them to demonstrate them for you and you can see if you recognize them."  
  
"Alright," Obi-Wan nodded slipping Cyjeon back into his pocket. Maybe watching his so called friends doing the exercises would help to keep his mind off the dream. He had had it before, although at the time he had thought it was just a stupid dream that meant nothing. Now he realized that it was something that happened in his past or maybe it was a vision of the future.  
  
****************  
  
Mace Windu watched Obi-Wan flawlessly perform the seventh kata. Garen had not even finished demonstrating it when Obi-Wan stood up and began to perform the movements. He was glad that the youngster was remembering his past. Perhaps he will recollect enough that he can stay in the Temple and continue his training.  
  
Mace was surprised that Obi-Wan's movements were smooth. They were not the typical movements of a Jedi who had been out of practice for many months.  
  
"Obi-Wan, you can stop now," Mace told him as he and Qui-Gon sat on the nearby bleachers. The thirteen year old stopped and glanced at Mace and then Qui-Gon before nodding his head. Mace could sense that Obi-Wan hesitated as if he had done something wrong.  
  
"Obi-Wan, you did very well," Qui-Gon said assured him.  
  
"Yes, although it's odd that you showed no signs of not practicing the katas in a while," Mace commented.  
  
"I did practice them Sir. I didn't know what they were but I did them in the gardens when I couldn't sleep at night. They helped me to keep warm when it was cold and I couldn't find a place to seek shelter," the boy explained.  
  
Mace nodded. "What about your skills with a lightsaber?"  
  
"I don't have a lightsaber Sir, but once I fought this kid who tried to take some food that a nice old lady had given me. He tripped me and grabbed a large tree branch and tried to hit me with it. I saw another tree branch on the ground about a meter away. I wished I had it in my hand and suddenly it was there. I used it to block his blow. I got up and we fought with the branches until his broke and he ran away." Obi-Wan noticed that the three initiates and two Masters listened intently to his story.  
  
Mace and Qui-Gon shared a look as the teenager finished his narrative. Mace rose and pulled out his lightsaber. Lowering the setting to the minimum he said, "Show me. Garen, give him your lightsaber."  
  
Garen, surprised by Mace's words, hesitated for a moment before he handed the weapon to his friend.  
  
The Council member watched as Obi-Wan took a moment to look the weapon over. Without warning Mace ignited his weapon and swung at the youngster. He was ready to pull away so as not to hit the child's shoulder when his purple blade met with the resistance of Garen's green blade.  
  
Obi-Wan took the offensive and thrust at Mace who easily met the training saber with a crackle of light and sound.  
  
"Very good, you defended yourself instinctively. But you struck out at me with some anger. Remember, anger leads to the dark side." Obi-Wan nodded but did not reply as the dark skinned man disengaged his weapon. After a momentary hesitation the Padawan did the same before handing it back to Garen.  
  
"Obi-Wan, you should take it easy for the rest of the day and make sure you're well rested for your tests tomorrow. Perhaps Master Qui-Gon could teach you how to meditate."  
  
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Qui-Gon agreed.  
  
Mace nodded at the longhaired man who now stood beside him. Placing his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, he said, "I'll see you tomorrow for the tests." Obi-Wan nodded his head and Mace left the training room.  
  
"Thank you for your help," Qui-Gon told Garen, Reeft, and Bant as he placed a hand on Obi-Wan's back and guided him out of the room.  
  
**********************  
  
Obi-Wan sat on the couch in Qui-Gon's apartment while the Jedi Master rummaged through his sleep room searching for something. It sounded as if the older man was destroying the entire room to find whatever he was looking for.  
  
Obi-Wan thought about the exercises that he did to keep warm on Luzick. He had no idea that they were Jedi Katas and forms. He had also surprised himself when Master Windu dueled against him when he had only Garen's lightsaber. He thought the dark skinned Master would easily defeat him and give him numerous burns but he hadn't. Obi-Wan was able to deflect his blow and had even struck out at him in an attempt to protect himself. He tried to attack his opponent before Mace could get a chance to assail again. He was not aware that he had assaulted him in anger.  
  
After Master Qui-Gon had prepared tea for them he had tried to teach Obi- Wan how to meditate. But the boy could not find his center. He was unable to stop the thoughts of the day's events from swirling through his mind like a Tatooine sand storm.  
  
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said as he exited his sleep room and sat down on the couch beside the youngster. "I need to speak with you."  
  
Obi-Wan looked down at his lap. He assumed Qui-Gon would want to discuss what had happened in the training rooms a couple of hours ago. "I'm sorry about what happened in the training room. I had no idea..."  
  
"Obi-Wan, this is not about what happened earlier. You did very well actually. The Council was going to find you a foster family on Coruscant to stay with. Since you did so well in the training rooms and since it's obvious that you are remembering things I think that we won't have to worry about that happening," Qui-Gon told him. "In fact there's something that I would like to ask you."  
  
Obi-Wan looked up into the man's sparkling sapphire blue eyes and wondered what he was about to ask, that put him in such a good mood.  
  
"I know that you're unsure of yourself and your Jedi abilities, but I think I can help you. I can teach you how to meditate and find your center. I can show you how to release your anger and fight defensively to save your life and the lives of others instead of fighting in anger. Obi-Wan Kenobi, will you be my Padawan learner?"  
  
Obi-Wan could not stop a smile from forming on his face. He had thought he would receive a lecture. He had not expected an invitation to be this man's student. "Yes," he answered without hesitation.  
  
Qui-Gon smiled. Obi-Wan could not remember ever seeing the man smile. "We must inform the Council and of course they have to approve it, but I doubt they will disagree. I must go see a friend. I think I might have left something in her apartment. You should go to bed; you have a big day tomorrow. After your test we'll discuss with the Council your becoming my Padawan."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded and went into his sleep room to prepare for bed.  
  
*********************  
  
"Qui-Gon, it sounds like you're making a mess. What are you looking for?" Tahl questioned her friend. The sounds of metal clanging against metal filled the room. She could imagine the man taking all of his most valuable trinkets out of the storage box. Most likely the objects now cluttered the carpet of the extra sleep room. She used the empty space as a storage area since she did not have a Padawan.  
  
"I'm looking for something very special that I want to give to Obi-Wan. It's the river stone that I found in the River of Light on my home planet. I want to give it to Obi-Wan as a belated thirteenth birthday present."  
  
"Qui-Gon, why would you give it to him for his..." she paused mid sentence. "Did you ask him?"  
  
"Yes," Qui-Gon could not help but smile. "I asked him to be my Padawan and he accepted."  
  
"Qui-Gon Jinn, aren't you rushing into something that you should not. You don't even know if he will be allowed to stay in the Temple for much longer let alone be your Padawan," Tahl disagreed.  
  
"The Force brought him to me, I know it. I've ignored the will of the Force before; I will not do it again. The boy is destined for greatness."  
  
"Was Qui-Gon, he was destined for greatness before he lost his memory."  
  
"But he's already remembering things. He doesn't realize that they're memories but they are. He was able to do most of the forms and up to the seventh kata before Mace stopped him. Then Mace swung his lightsaber at him and Obi-Wan was able to block the blow and protect himself."  
  
"That's good, but I think you should wait. You're getting too attached to him and the Council still might not let him stay."  
  
"I don't think that will happen, Tahl. Ah here it is. It's just as I remember it," Qui-Gon said running his finger over the smooth surface of the black stone.  
  
*********************  
  
"I'm sorry I failed you Master," he murmured as he summoned all his strength and whirled around while igniting his lightsaber. His sprained ankle could not support all of his weight since his other leg had been broken. He lost his balance, falling toward the guard who aimed his blaster at him. Then he heard the sound of blaster fire and felt a searing pain in his shoulder. It felt as if an angry Wookiee had torn off his arm. He collided with the man who had just shot him and the blue blade of his lightsaber sunk deeply into the man's chest.  
  
Shock was the last expression the shooter's face would ever show as his lifeless body slumped to the ground with Obi-Wan falling in a heap on top of him. He knew that his shoulder wound, despite the agonizing pain, was not life threatening. He assumed, though, that the woman behind him who had screamed as her friend was killed would most likely prove life threatening. Obi-Wan turned to see the teary eyed woman looking from him to the dead man.  
  
The woman said something in a language that Obi-Wan could not understand as more soldiers hurried from behind her to see what was happening. "You killed Leader Chandlish," one of them shouted. "Your Master is dead because you ran from us boy. But you will stand trial for the murder of Leader Chandlish."  
  
Hands roughly grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. It was not murder but if he had not killed the leader, he would be the one lying in a heap on the ground. However, since learning that his Master was really dead he did not care what they did to him. He no longer had the strength to save himself.  
  
"Master," Obi-Wan whispered as he opened his eyes. His breaths came in quick harsh gasps as he tried to calm himself. As he looked around he noticed that he was in the extra bedroom in Master Qui-Gon Jinn's apartment. With a sigh he realized that he was safe. It was just another dream.  
  
Obi-Wan could not get the man's words out of his head. He claimed that it was his fault that his Master was dead just like the white haired boy had said in the hall. Was he really the cause of Master Oxane's death? If he was, how could he allow Qui-Gon to become his Master? The man had helped him when no one else would. He could not allow himself to be the cause of another man's death. He could stay and ignore both the dream and white- haired boy. But what would Qui-Gon think of him when the team Master Yoda sent to investigate the events on Phindar discovered that it was his fault that his Master had died?  
  
He stared out the window at the traffic that flew through the skies even before sunrise. The planet was large with many people, more than all the other planets he had spent time on since losing his memory. He wondered if he could find a job here on this planet.  
  
Slowly he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Just as slowly and quietly he began to dress. After slipping his boots on he put Cyjeon into his pants pocket and stepped out into the sitting area of Qui- Gon's apartment.  
  
He surveyed the darkened area and crept toward the door of the Jedi Master's sleep room. He could hear the steady snores coming from the other side of the door that was ajar. He assumed that the man had set the door that way so he could hear if Obi-Wan needed anything.  
  
"I'm sorry Qui-Gon," the young man whispered as he turned and without looking back, he walked out of the apartment.  
  
To be continued... 


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven  
  
Rays of sunlight bathed the sparsely decorated room with light and warmth. Qui-Gon Jinn stepped stealthily out of the fresher and into his sunlit sleep room. His hair was still damp and graying strands of hair clung to the side of his head.  
  
The Jedi Master crossed the floor to his sleep couch, sat down on the edge and began to pull his boots on. He picked up the river stone he had placed on the end table the night before.  
  
Qui-Gon idly ran his finger back and forth over the smooth surface of the stone. He could not help but wonder if Obi-Wan would like it as a gift. He realized that the river stone was not the typical present a Master normally gave a Padawan for their thirteenth birthday, but he felt a strange special connection to the rock and thought it would be an excellent present for the boy. Especially since Qui-Gon had felt a special connection to the young boy.  
  
With a sigh he decided that he had left Obi-Wan asleep long enough. The lad was dead to the world when Qui-Gon had returned from Tahl's apartment. When he woke, Qui-Gon determined that he would clean up and allow the youngster to continue sleeping while he finished dressing. He hoped a little extra slumber would help ensure that Obi-Wan was well rested for the tests that Mace had planned for him today.  
  
Qui-Gon sauntered out of his sleep room, "Obi-Wan," he called, "It's time to wake. There's much to do today."  
  
When he did not receive an answer he called on the Force intending to make sure that the boy was all right. When he did not sense a presence in the room, he opened the door and walked in. The room was empty. The blankets were neatly pulled up over the pillows, just as it was before Obi-Wan had come to stay in the room. There were no visible signs that anyone had slept in the room other than the fresh tunics that hung in the closet. Qui-Gon suddenly felt the Force swirl around him and instantly realized that it was important that he find the boy immediately.  
  
Qui-Gon exited the boy's room pulling his cloak on and left his apartment to find Obi-Wan. He suspected that the lad was at the cafeteria eating or in the Room of A Thousand Fountains, letting Cyjeon frolic in the vast foliage found there.  
  
He first checked the cafeteria, and then the training rooms where Obi-Wan had performed the katas and forms since it was closer to the cafeteria. He thought that perhaps the boy might have wanted to continue his usual practice of exercising in the morning. The youngster, however, was not there. Qui-Gon was sure that he would find him in The Room of A Thousand Fountains, but he was not there either.  
  
Qui-Gon could not find Obi-Wan anywhere in the Temple. He had checked the cafeteria, the training rooms, The Room of A Thousand Fountains, and his apartment at least three times. He checked all the other rooms in the Temple once or twice and was becoming very worried. It was almost time for the tests that Mace had planned for the teenager.  
  
As he strode from a lift tube on the tenth level, he nearly ran into Mace Windu on his way to the classroom to prepare Obi-Wan's tests.  
  
"Qui-Gon, are you ready for Obi-Wan's tests?" he asked.  
  
"I've been looking for him. He was not in the apartment when I awoke this morning. I thought he was in The Room of A Thousand Fountains with his pet, but he wasn't there either. I can't find him anywhere in the Temple," Qui- Gon explained as he and Mace stood in the hall just outside the lift tube.  
  
The lift tube doors slid open again and Master Ali-Alann and a group of young initiates poured into the hall and began to walk toward one of the training rooms.  
  
"Hello Masters Windu and Jinn," the man said.  
  
"Hello," Mace answered as Qui-Gon nodded his head at the man.  
  
"Have you seen Obi-Wan Kenobi today?" Mace asked.  
  
"No, I heard that he had returned from the dead so to speak, but I have not actually seen him since before he left on his last mission," Ali-Alann replied.  
  
Mace nodded and turned to Qui-Gon as the other man walked down the hall with the children. "Don't worry, we'll find him," Mace tried to reassure the man beside him. Qui-Gon nodded idly as he watched the children walk past him. Some children greeted them with a giggle as they walked by. One of the kids, he noticed, was the same young girl that Obi-Wan had taught how to do the first form. He did not pay much attention to her until he saw her take something very familiar out of her tunic pants.  
  
"Wait, Master Ali-Alann," Qui-Gon called after the crèche Master. "I need to speak with Initiate Élan," the Jedi Master said when the man turned to face him.  
  
The young girl turned to look at him. He could sense her curiosity, her wondering why Master Jinn would want to speak to her? Qui-Gon slowly squatted in front of the young girl. "Élan, my name is Qui-Gon Jinn. Can you tell me about your little friend?" he asked indicating the tiny creature in her hand with a nod of his head.  
  
"He's Cyjeon. Obi-Wan gave him to me," the girl smiled.  
  
"This is very important Élan, where did you see Obi-Wan? I need to find him."  
  
Élan looked down at Cyjeon, then up at Master Ali-Alann who had walked toward them, before looking back at Qui-Gon. "Is he in trouble?" she asked.  
  
"I think he may need my help," Qui-Gon told her.  
  
Élan looked at him and hesitatingly replied, "I saw him in The Room of A Thousand Fountains this morning. He told me he was going away for a long time and could not take Cyjeon with him. He said there would be no grass for him and he asked me to take care of his friend for him."  
  
Qui-Gon felt his heart sink as he finally allowed himself to accept what had been gnawing at him since he first discovered the boy was not in his apartment. "Thank you for your help, I'm sure you will take good care of Cyjeon while Obi-Wan is away."  
  
"Qui-Gon," Mace interrupted.  
  
Qui-Gon stood up to look at Mace, as Élan and the rest of the initiates continued their trek down the corridor toward one of the training rooms. Qui-Gon could see in Mace's eyes that he had arrived at the same conclusion he had, "Obi-Wan has ran away."  
  
He was tired, his feet felt as if they were on fire. He had walked the streets of Coruscant for hours without rest. He thought it would be easier to find a job now that he knew his name. Although in the last six hours or more of searching he had not found one. Obi-Wan yawned as he entered a diner hoping to sit for a minute.  
  
He began to think that leaving the Temple was wrong. He should have stayed there and waited until they sent him away to the foster home, at least he would have a roof over his head.  
  
"Can I help you?" the mechanical voice of a droid waitress asked as he entered the diner.  
  
"Can I speak with the owner please?" he asked.  
  
"Dex, there's a kid here to see you. He's a Jedi by the look of him." Obi- Wan groaned at the droid's observation and sat down in the empty booth that the droid had indicated with a wave of her hand. Closing his eyes, he vowed that when he found a job the first thing he would do when he was paid was buy new clothing then cut and burn the braid in his hair along with his Jedi tunics.  
  
As he sat in the booth, he noticed that most of the beings in the diner kept looking at him. He saw Arconas, Dugs, Mon Calamari, Whiphids, Rodians, a Chadra Fan and other species that he didn't recognize. "Here you are honey, a fresh cup of Jawa juice," the droid said returning to the booth where he sat a few minutes later. She placed the cup on the table in front of him.  
  
Obi-Wan looked at the sweet smelling liquid in the glass. He was very thirsty. His lips and throat were so dry he thought they would fall off. "I don't have any credits," Obi-Wan told her.  
  
"Drink it Jedi. You look like you need something a little stronger, but I don't think that would be fitting for such a young Jedi," A large being with four arms said. He wore a greasy t-shirt that appeared several sizes too small. He had on an ordinary pair of pants and an even greasier apron around his waist.  
  
Obi-Wan quickly took a sip. The juice tasted as good as it smelled. He suspected that anything would taste good to him at that moment.  
  
"Now what do you need to speak with me about Jedi?"  
  
"You're the owner?" Obi-Wan questioned as the large Besalisk squeezed into the seat across from him. He had never seen a being like him before but he had read about them on Luzick. He suddenly felt uncomfortable. The being could crush him easily if he wanted to.  
  
"Yes, I'm Dexter Jettster. Who are you Jedi?" he asked.  
  
"I'm... I'm Ben, Ben Kenobi," he stammered taking a deep breath. "I'm not a Jedi any more."  
  
"Well, what can I do for you Ben?" Dexter asked.  
  
"I'm looking for work. I'm a hard worker; I don't need much pay just enough money for a place to stay. I'll do anything you want me to do."  
  
Dexter stared at Obi-Wan. He studied him intently as he decided whether to give him a job. Then he finally said, "Well, I don't need any help. I have enough droids and employees already."  
  
"Please Sir; I've been walking around looking for work since before sunrise. Can you at least tell me where I can get a job?"  
  
"Why are you looking for work in Coco Town? This decaying industrial area is no place for kids. You're just a boy, Ben. It's illegal to hire children to work. I don't need any trouble. I run an honest business now."  
  
"I'm thirteen years old. I'm not a boy anymore," Obi-Wan told him.  
  
"Well thirteen," Dex smiled. "And what do you know of working in a kitchen or a restaurant?"  
  
"I don't know anything Sir, but I'm a fast learner. I can clean floors. I once had to clean the entire cafeteria at the Temple after accidentally starting a food fight."  
  
"Accidentally?" Dexter asked. He began to laugh causing the table to shake with his mirth. "How do you accidentally start a food fight?"  
  
"I...I don't remember exactly," Obi-Wan admitted. He remembered him and his friends laughing and enjoying them selves before Master Mace Windu put a stop to their fun. "I didn't start it on purpose. I wouldn't do that here if that's what you're worried about."  
  
"I'm not worried about that Ben," Dexter assured him.  
  
"Mr. Jettster..."  
  
"You can call me Dex," the large being interrupted him. "You can clean the dishes in the kitchen until I get the cleaning droid repaired."  
  
"Thank you, Mr.... Dex," Obi-Wan grinned.  
  
"...he's thirteen years old, blue/green eyes, reddish/brown hair. He has a braid behind his right ear. He was wearing characteristic Jedi tunics," Qui- Gon told one of the security officers. This was fourth hangar he had checked since beginning his search for Obi-Wan outside of the Temple.  
  
"I'm sorry sir. I haven't seen anyone matching that description. You're the only Jedi I've seen all day. I will let you know if I see anyone matching his description and I will also let the other security officers know to watch for the boy," the tall thin man told him.  
  
"Thank you," Qui-Gon nodded and hurried toward the exit.  
  
"Qui-Gon," Adi Gallia called as he exited the building. "Did you find anything?"  
  
"No, no one has seen anybody matching his description."  
  
"Did he say anything at all to you?" Adi asked.  
  
"No, I was confident that the Council would allow him to stay at the Temple because he had started to remember things. I asked him to be my Padawan and he accepted. He must have become frightened. When I first found him, he was scared of almost everything. He had finally started to trust me, or I thought he did."  
  
"Can you blame him?" Adi looked up at him. "A thirteen year old wakes up one day not knowing who he is, where he belongs, or anything else about himself. It's understandable that he's afraid."  
  
"I should have expected this. I should have reassured him that every thing would be alright no matter how well he did on the tests."  
  
"Qui-Gon, it's not your fault. You could not have foreseen his running away. We'll find him," she assured him.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded and started off in the direction of the next hangar that he needed to check. He knew deep down that, there was no way he could have known what Obi-Wan was planning. But, he couldn't help but feel that he should have done something to prevent the boy's leaving.  
  
He kept thinking about his conversation with Master Yoda two years ago before when he left the Order. "Grave consequences to Initiate Kenobi if change your mind you do not." He could not help but wonder if all the tragedies that the boy had had to face over the last six months could have been prevented if he had listened to Yoda, as well as everyone else, who told him that he should not leave.  
  
The sound of Qui-Gon's comlink buzzing interrupted his thoughts. "Qui-Gon here," he said hoping that someone found the youngster.  
  
"Qui-Gon, it's Mace. Meet me at the medical facilities on the upper South level."  
  
"Is it Obi-Wan?"  
  
"I don't know for certain," the Councilman responded. His voice sounded somber to Qui-Gon. "A boy matching his description was brought there. He was involved in a speeder accident just after leaving a restaurant near Coco Town."  
  
"I'm on my way," Qui-Gon said glancing at Adi who had been walking with him.  
  
"I have a speeder parked near by," she told him. Qui-Gon again nodded and followed the Councilwoman.  
  
Qui-Gon could not find his calm center as Adi stopped just outside of the medical center. He could feel his heart race as he and Adi hopped out of the speeder and hurried toward the entrance of the building.  
  
Mace Windu rushed in behind them, "Qui-Gon, Adi," he called.  
  
"Mace," Qui-Gon greeted.  
  
"They told me he's in the morgue," Mace said glancing at Adi then Qui-Gon.  
  
"The Morgue!" Qui-Gon exclaimed as his heart began to thunder in his chest like the hooves of a Puzzaline clomping over the Alderaan grass.  
  
Qui-Gon followed Mace and Adi numbly down to the bottom floor of the medical facilities.  
  
"Did they say if the boy had a braid?" Adi inquired.  
  
"They said that the boy was badly injured. Some of his hair was severed in the crash; it's possible that if he had a braid it was also severed."  
  
With each step that brought him closer to the morgue and the possible body of his Padawan, Qui-Gon found it harder and harder to concentrate on anything except Yoda's words that replayed repeatedly in his mind. "Grave consequences to Initiate Kenobi if change your mind you do not."  
  
"Qui-Gon... Qui-Gon, do you want to wait out here?" Mace asked for the second time as the longhaired man finally acknowledged him.  
  
"No, I need to see for my self," Qui-Gon said softly as he entered the cool room. Ignoring an attendant that had turned to see who had entered the morgue, he walked to a table a meter away from the door and closed his eyes at what he saw on the table.  
  
To be continued... 


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight  
  
Qui-Gon glanced back at Mace and Adi. The boy lying on the table shared Obi- Wan's hair color and size but the battered lifeless body had fuller lips and a chubbier face than his Padawan. Qui-Gon released the breath that he realized he was holding. "It's not Obi-Wan." Relief flooded through him. However, he was saddened that the family and friends of the boy would feel the same anxiety and loss that he had.  
  
"We'll find him Qui-Gon." The warmth of Mace's hand on his shoulder assured him that he would not give up on the lad. The longhaired Jedi turned around to stare at Mace briefly and nodded before he walked away.  
  
The air in the morgue suddenly seemed very thin. He needed fresh air. Outside the large medical facilities, Qui-Gon took a deep breath. Coruscant's air was not much better than that of the morgue because of smog and pollutants from the factories. But it was what Qui-Gon needed now. He relied on Mace and Adi to inform the clerk in the Morgue that the boy was not Obi-Wan.  
  
A medical transport stopped suddenly out side the medical facility doors. Qui-Gon could not help but take a good look at the patient to make certain it was not his Padawan. An unconscious woman was taken into the medical center on a hover bed. He knew Obi-Wan was not lying in the morgue and his hopes rose again that he would get an opportunity to find him. A determination to make up for all that had gone wrong in the boy's life filled his body with urgency.

With the back of his hand, he wiped the sweat off his forehead. The kitchen of Dex's Diner was very warm. Obi-Wan washed the dishes in a large sink using only soap, water, and a rag. He knew now why the cleaning droids were so important. The kitchen was, he guessed, warmer than the desert planet that some pilots in the Luzick hangar had discussed.  
  
"Ben," Dex said. He untied the straps of his apron and tossed it into the laundry chute. "Flo and the other droids will clean the rest of the dishes. You can go home now."  
  
"Home," Obi-Wan thought and nodded his head as he turned off the water. He had not given any thought to where he would sleep. The only gardens that he had seen since Qui-Gon had brought him to Coruscant were at the Jedi Temple. He would not go there.  
  
"Do you have a place to stay Ben?" Dex switched off the cooking elements and looked over his shoulder at the youngster.  
  
Obi-Wan didn't know what to say. He didn't have any place to stay, but he also didn't know what Dex would do about it. Could he try to contact the orphanage that Qui-Gon had told him about? After careful consideration he lied, "Yes sir."  
  
Dex studied his face and Obi-Wan felt as if the man could see right through him. "Where?"  
  
"Where what?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Where are you staying? I'll give you a ride in my speeder."  
  
"It's not far from here," he replied, "I can walk."  
  
"Ben, if you want to continue to work here don't lie to me. This is Coco town. The residential area is a far walk from here. If you need a place to stay for a while I can help you, but you must tell me the truth."  
  
"I don't have anywhere to stay sir, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan answered, looking down at his feet, hoping Dex would not be angry with him.  
  
"Where were you planning on going," Dex questioned.  
  
"I don't' know. I was hoping that while walking, I would find a bench to sleep on. On the planet Luzick, I used to sleep in the gardens. I haven't seen any gardens here though," he said.  
  
Dex laughed, "There are no gardens on Coruscant. Not unless you go to the Jedi. Perhaps there are other buildings with gardens, but I don't know where. And as for sleeping on a bench, you're not on Luzick. The streets of Coruscant are not a good place for naps especially during nightfall."  
  
Obi-Wan looked at Dex as the Besalisk washed the grease off all four of his large hands. The man would most likely contact the security forces or the Jedi Temple. It was a mistake to tell him.  
  
"Ben," Dexter sighed, "I have an extra room in my apartment if you want to stay with me. It's not very big and you can't stay there for too long, but you'll have a roof over your head. It's much safer than roaming the streets."  
  
Obi-Wan could not stop the surprised expression from crossing his face at the Besalisk's words. "Thank you sir," Obi-Wan grinned. And then he wondered how safe it was to stay with a man that he just met. Like Qui-Gon Jinn, he somehow knew that he could trust Dexter. Perhaps the Force, which Qui-Gon and the other Jedi constantly talked about, helped to him to understand and accept this knowledge.  
  
"My speeder is parked out back. Go get in it and wait for me, I'll be there in a minute," Dex instructed.  
  
Obi-Wan nodded and went out the back door without any further conversation.  
  
The doors slid shut behind the boy and Dexter activated the dish cleaning droid that leaned against the corner of the back wall. The droid immediately came to life. This was the same droid that he had told Obi-Wan was broken.  
  
"Dee," Dexter spoke to the droid. "There are dishes for you to wash."  
  
"Why do you allow that poor boy to clean the dishes while DC-25 is operating at top capacity?" Hilish the human waitress questioned as she opened a cabinet and removed her jacket.  
  
"I know what I'm doing. It's no concern of yours Hil. I'll see you tomorrow night." Dex abruptly turned and walked toward the rear exit where Obi-Wan had just disappeared.

  
  
Dex's apartment was not much larger than Qui-Gon's quarters at the Temple. It was decorated with various trinkets that Obi-Wan had never seen before. The living area was furnished with a couch and two large comfortable looking chairs. A large desk with data pads scattered on top of it sat along the far wall and a large hover chair rested in front of the desk. The small kitchen was located on the left side of the room. Obi-Wan suspected that a man like Dex who cooked every day would have a large kitchen in his home.  
  
"Ben," Dex began. "You can sleep in guest bedroom. It's down the hall to your right. It's the last door on the left. The bathroom is the first door on the left. Please sit down and make yourself comfortable. I need to speak with you." He waved his hand toward the couch and chairs in the living area.  
  
Obi-Wan looked at Dex unsure what he should do or say. He did not know what the Besalisk wanted to talk about but he didn't think that it was good. He decided that he should not refuse to sit down on the couch.  
  
"Would you like some tea? I heard that the Jedi drink tea quite often."  
  
"No thank you," Obi-Wan replied. He began to fiddle with the sleeves of his tunic as Dex sat on the chair closest to the doorway.  
  
"I need to know why you left the Jedi Temple."  
  
Obi-Wan looked at Dex, wondering how to answer. Should he tell him the truth?  
  
"Ben," Dex sighed when the youngster did not answer right away. "I need to know if you did something wrong. I don't need any trouble connected with hiding a criminal."  
  
"I didn't do anything wrong... I don't think."  
  
"You don't think?"  
  
"I lost my memory," he said. Obi-Wan then told the Besalisk about the events that had occurred since he met Qui-Gon Jinn.  
  
"Why did you leave? A Jedi's life sounds better than the life of a dishwasher. If you did fail the test, you would have gone to stay with a nice family who would take care of you. You wouldn't need to work."  
  
"But what if I passed the tests? I knew how to do forms and katas but I don't know how I know."  
  
"But?" Dexter prompted when Obi-Wan did not continue immediately.  
  
"But what if I was on a mission with Qui-Gon and I forgot something that might cause him to get hurt or worse?"  
  
"Well," Dex sighed again. "That's reason enough to throw away a potential future. A good future I suspect."  
  
"Garen said that Qui-Gon is one of the greatest of the Jedi Masters. I didn't want to disappoint him. He asked me to be his Padawan. If I failed the test and was sent away it would have upset him."  
  
"Yes I'm sure it would have. Do you think he's any less upset now? If he cares about you as much as I think he does, he's searching for you right now. And he is probably very worried."  
  
Obi-Wan looked into the Besalisk's eyes. He had not thought about it that way, but he could not go back now; it was too late. Dex was right. It looked like he had made a very bad choice and now he had to live with it. "Qui-Gon is better off without me," Obi-Wan mumbled.  
  
Dex nodded. "You better go and get some rest. You have more dishes to clean tomorrow."  
  
"Yes sir," Obi-Wan replied. He walked down the wide hallway and opened the door to the second room on the left. The room was bare except for a large sleep couch, a large dresser, a closet, and an end table beside the sleep couch. Obi-Wan was painfully aware that he had no clothes to fill the closet or the dresser.  
  
He had nothing but the clothes that he currently wore. They were the clothes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and he had no memory of previously wearing them. He could not wait until he could buy some clothes of his own. Perhaps he would be more comfortable wearing civilian clothing.  
  
Obi-Wan removed his boots and outer tunic. Carefully he placed the boots neatly underneath the end table. He efficiently folded the outer tunic and placed it on top of the small table before he lay down on the sleep couch. Within minutes his exhaustion got the better of him and he drifted into a restful and much needed slumber.

  
  
Qui-Gon Jinn lay on his sleep couch, his thoughts centered on Obi-Wan. He could not sleep. He was relieved that the boy in the morgue was not Obi- Wan, but the lad could have gotten himself into worse trouble. Coruscant was not the safest place for youngsters without an adult companion. Some of the lower levels were not even safe for adults.  
  
Qui-Gon could not help but wonder if he would ever find the youngster again. Security personnel and Jedi had already most of the hangars within walking distance from the Temple and even some further away. Other security officers were questioned, but none had seen a young Padawan by himself or a boy matching his description. The Master was afraid that the boy had masked his presence and snuck aboard a ship unnoticed by security. Obi-Wan could be anywhere in the galaxy by now.  
  
_"Grave consequences to Initiate Kenobi..."_ Yoda's words once again ran through his mind. If something happened to the young teen, he would never forgive himself. Yoda was right. He should not have turned his back on the Order.

  
  
Bant stared at the ships that filled Coruscant's night skies. Garen and Reeft stood on either side of her leaning against the railing of the balcony outside The Room of A Thousand Fountains. "I can't believe that we just found him and now he's gone again. I keep thinking that if I had been nicer to him, if I had been willing to believe he really was Obi-Wan maybe he wouldn't have left."  
  
"Bant, that's not true. Master Mace said that Obi-Wan left because he felt he didn't belong. He felt like an outsider and didn't think he'd pass the tests." Reeft put a hand on his friend's shoulder.  
  
"Master Qui-Gon will find him. He will not give up," Garen assured them.  
  
"He could be anywhere by now," the young Mon Calamari argued wiping the tears from her eyes.  
  
"Find Kenobi we will. Worry you should not. To sleep you must go," Master Yoda, said as he hobbled up to them, his gimmer stick thumping steadily on the tiles covering the balcony floor.  
  
"Yes Master," Garen and Reeft simultaneously answered as the three friends turned to look at the small Master.  
  
"But what if he doesn't come back? What if Master Qui-Gon cannot find him? If he is found, what will happen if he never regains his memory? It's almost as if he's still dead. He won't be the same."  
  
"Initiates Garen and Reeft, speak with Initiate Eerin alone I will."  
  
"Yes Master," they both answered and quickly left the balcony.  
  
"Memory he lost, not his personality. With his friends help, surface remnants of his old self might." Before Yoda could say anything else, they were interrupted by the beeping sound of the Master's comlink.  
  
"Yoda this is," he spoke into the small device he pulled from a pocket in his tunic.  
  
"Master, Knight Monoly requests an immediate audience with the Council. He claims to have news of the missing Padawan," the voice of Docent Vant informed him.  
  
"On my way I am," the small Master responded. He ended the transmission and turned to Bant. "Sleep you should. Unnecessary further discussion is."  
  
Yoda hobbled away leaving Bant to stare after him wondering if someone had located her missing friend.  
  
To be continued ...


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Qui-Gon sat in a meditative position in his living area for most of the night. Finally giving up on finding his calm center, he slowly stretched his stiff limbs and stood up. He decided to make some tea before he resumed searching for Obi-Wan again. The chances that he would ever find his Padawan again were not good, but he just couldn't give up on the lad. He knew he would spend the rest of his life searching for him if he had to.

The sound of his door chime interrupted his thoughts. With a sigh, Qui-Gon abandoned his half prepared tea and tapped a button on the door control panel. The doors slid open with a hiss.

Master Mace Windu stood on the other side of the entrance with a warm smile, "Good morning," the dark skinned Master said, opening the conversation. Qui-Gon could only wonder if the other man was in a good mood or just trying to cheer him up. Either way it disgusted the Jedi Master

"That is a matter of opinion," Qui-Gon grumbled and stepped aside to allow the Council Member enter his apartment.

"Qui-Gon, I'm glad you're dressed because we must leave now," Mace told him, the smile he seemed unable to hide still covering his face.

"Mace," Qui-Gon groused, "I'm going to look for my Padawan as soon as I finish my tea." He did not want to participate in whatever scheme his friend had devised to cheer him up. Obi-Wan was out there somewhere possibly in trouble. He needed to find the boy

"Really! I'm going to bring him back. I thought you might want to join me," Mace replied, his brown eyes locked on Qui-Gon's sapphire eyes.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Knight Monoly's friend Dexter Jettster, who owns a small diner in CoCo Town, contacted him last night. He said that a boy came into his restaurant looking for work. He used the name Ben Kenobi and Dexter said that he wore Jedi clothes. He also has a Padawan style braid behind his right ear."

Qui-Gon's heart began to race. Could they have really found him? Who else would use the name Ben Kenobi? "Where is he now?"

"He's still there. Dexter apparently decided to help the boy by hiring him. He let Obi-Wan stay with him to keep him off the Coruscant streets. He told Monoly to have someone meet him at the diner at the ninth hour. Dexter said that Obi-Wan would be there cleaning dishes. He'll send the boy to the dining area for a break when we get there."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go," Qui-Gon replied as he started for the door.

Obi-Wan watched Dex as he prepared some strange looking food that he had never seen before for first meal. The diner had only a few customers in the morning. The second and last meals were normally the busiest. The regular patrons seemed to enjoy Dex's cooking.

Obi-Wan put the last plate in the drying unit and looked up at his boss. Before he could say anything Dex spoke.

"Ben, why don't you take a break? Hil will bring you a glass of Jawa juice," Dex told him continuing to stir the food that was beginning to sizzle on the grill.

Obi-Wan nodded, switched off the water, and put his hands underneath the drying unit. He thought that a break would be good. Hillish had told him that he would need to rest whenever he could because once the diner got busy it might be awhile before he got a chance to take another break.

After drying his hands, Obi-Wan walked into the dining area. The lad sat down at a booth at the far side of the diner. He began to look around the dining area as Hillish walked toward him with a glass of Jawa juice on the tray that she held in her arms.

"Here is your juice, Ben," Hillish informed him as she sat the glass on the tabletop.

"Thank you Hil."

A movement from a booth few meters away caught his attention. Obi-Wan's heart seemed to skip a beat as he looked at the two men who had just stood up. They both looked directly at him.

"Ben, are you ill?" Hillish questioned.

Obi-Wan quickly stood up and hurried into the kitchen, leaving the server's question unanswered. He nearly ran into the droid waitress WA-7 as she exited the kitchen carrying the tray of the food that Dex had prepared.

"Obi-Wan wait," Qui-Gon called to him as he entered the kitchen.

"Dex, what's going on? You knew they were here didn't you?" Obi-Wan demanded.

"Who's here? Do we have more customers?"

"Ben," Hillish began as she stepped into the kitchen. "What's going on? Are you in some type of trouble?"

Obi-Wan looked at Hil and then back at Dex, before he started to walk toward the back exit.

"Ben stop! You can't outrun the Jedi. Where do you think you're going to go?"

Obi-Wan stopped, turned around, and glared at Dexter. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement near the sinks. An operational droid that he had never seen before hovered in front of the sink cleaning the soiled dishes at a much faster pace than he had. "You lied, the droid is operational," he said looking directly at Dexter. The door to the kitchen slid open again and Qui-Gon entered with Mace Windu.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon spoke again. The Jedi's deep voice reverberated off the walls of the small kitchen demanding attention.

"Leave me alone. I'm not a Jedi," Obi-Wan took a step backward toward the door.

"You're not a dishwasher either Obi-Wan," Mace spoke for the first time.

Obi-Wan looked at Mace and then Qui-Gon. He did not know what to say or do. The boy had realized that leaving the Temple was a bad idea, but how could he go back now after what he did?

"I think you are a Jedi," Qui-Gon took another step closer to the teenager. "I know one day you will be a great Jedi Knight."

Obi-Wan shook his head and glanced at Dexter as if hoping the Besalisk could tell him what to do.

"Obi-Wan," Mace began, "Sit down and talk to us about this. If you don't want to be a Jedi we can find another suitable place for you to stay rather than cleaning dishes."

"Obi-wan," Dex said using the youngster's real name for the first time. "Listen to what they have to say boy. They're Jedi. They will not force you to do anything you don't want to do...unless you are a criminal of course," he chuckled.

Obi-Wan felt defeated. If he ran, the Jedi would easily catch him. The planet was unfamiliar and he did not know any places to hide the way he had on Luzick. Reluctantly he nodded his head and turned to walk toward the dining area once again. Hillish followed Qui-Gon and Mace out of the kitchen keeping an eye on the two Jedi like a mother protecting her young.

Obi-Wan returned to the booth where he had sat at earlier. Mace and Qui-Gon joined him, sitting on the opposite side of the booth.

"How are you?" Qui-Gon asked, watching as Obi-Wan quickly took a sip of the Jawa juice that the waitress had brought him.

"Fine," the boy said as he crumpled the fabric of his tunic pants. The material becoming more wrinkled with each movement of his hand.

"Have you been eating regularly?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yes, Dex is a very good cook. He makes sure that all of his breathing employees are well fed," the boy replied still looking at the soiled material of his pants.

"There are a lot of people who are worried about you," Mace stated.

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan spoke quietly.

"Why did you leave?" Qui-Gon asked.

"I...I just couldn't stay. I don't belong with the Jedi," Obi-Wan said his voice was tight with tension. He had not expected to see Qui-Gon Jinn again.

"But you are a Jedi. You came to the Temple as an infant and the Jedi raised you," the longhaired Master assured him.

"I don't remember being a Jedi though," Obi-Wan finally lifted his head to look at Qui-Gon. "How can I be your Padawan? What if we're in the middle of a dangerous mission and you get hurt because I didn't remember something? An innocent person could be injured because of me. I can't take that risk. Maybe you can take me to the Orphanage or something," the lad once again lowered his gaze.

Qui-Gon stared at the boy. He did not know how to answer him. He was certain that the boy was meant to be his Padawan. However, the child's words were true. It would not be good for Obi-Wan to forget things in the middle of a mission. He now realized that the Council's decision to send Obi-Wan away to an orphanage was the correct thing to do after all. Perhaps he was being selfish in his determination to train the boy. Perhaps Yoda was right and because he left the order, he had destroyed Obi-Wan Kenobi's chances of being a Jedi Knight. The least he could do now was let the young man go. This was a hard decision, but it would give Obi-Wan a chance at a normal life. A life he never would have had as a Jedi.

"There is another option," Mace spoke quietly interrupting the silence that had filled the space between the three of them. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon looked at the Council member with surprised eyes. "We could send you to the Agricultural Corps. If you have any problems with controlling your abilities with the Force, there will be other Force sensitive beings nearby who could help. You seemed to enjoy the gardens at the Temple, so working in larger gardens might interest you."

"Well it would be better than cleaning dishes," Obi-Wan smiled. It was the first time the boy had smiled since Qui-Gon saw him exit the kitchen.

"I'm sure it would," Mace nodded. The overhead lighting gleamed on his baldhead. "And if you regain your memory, one of the workers in charge can contact the Council and let us know."

Qui-Gon knew that if he was nearby he would stop by wherever they sent Obi-Wan to make sure that the boy was ok. Perhaps he could determine if the boy had started to remember anything during his visit.

"Good," Mace said when Qui-Gon did not voice any complaints about the suggestion. "I'll contact Agri-Corps as soon as we return to the Temple. A transport should be ready to take you there in about two days. That should give you time to say goodbye to your friends this time."

"Thank you Sir," Obi-Wan said feeling relieved. He wanted to say goodbye and thank Dexter for his help.

Mace slowly began to stand up, "I think we should go."

"Master Windu," Obi-Wan spoke tentatively. "Before we go back to the Temple can I please speak with Dex? I promise I won't try to run away."

Mace glanced up at Qui-Gon who nodded his head. "Of course Obi-Wan, we're all very glad that he took care of you for us."

Obi-Wan's head bobbed up and down slightly with a nod. Qui-Gon watched him walk back into the kitchen. He contemplated the difficulty he would face when he had to say goodbye to the boy that should have been his Padawan.

Obi-Wan walked slowly into the kitchen. He did not know exactly what to say to Dex, but he felt he had to say something.

Dex was busily preparing another strange breakfast dish while the dish cleaning droid quickly cleaned the dishes and wiped the counters with its multiple arms.

"Dex," Obi-Wan spoke after a moment's hesitation. His voice was barely louder than a whisper. "I just wanted to thank you for letting me work here and giving me a place to stay."

"It was nothing Obi-Wan," Dexter looked at him. "Someone once gave me a chance a long time ago. I was constantly in trouble and if it was not for him, I wouldn't be here today. I owe you Jedi a lot. You must always remember that everyone needs a chance sometimes. Of course whether or not they accept the opportunity to change their lives is up to them."

Obi-Wan nodded and glanced at the dish cleaning droid as it began to place dishes into the drying unit. He knew that despite knowing Dex only for a short time that he considered the Besalisk a friend and would miss him and his cooking. "The cleaning droid was never broken, was it?"

"No. The droid is in perfect working condition," Dex admitted.

"Thank you again for helping me. You will always be my friend," Obi-Wan took a step closer to Dex.

The Besalisk pulled him into a tight hug and patted the boy's back lightly with all four of his appendages. "Come back and visit anytime, Obi-Wan. There will always be a glass of Jawa juice waiting for you here. If you ever need another place to stay you are welcome to my spare room anytime."

"I'll try to visit you, Dex. I would really like that," Obi-Wan grinned. His arms only reached the sides of the large being, but the boy returned the hug nonetheless.

"Me too," Dex said as they slowly separated.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said from the entrance to the kitchen, "We need to return to the Temple. Mr. Jettster, thank you for watching over Obi-Wan for us."

"He's a good kid," Dex nodded.

To be continued...


	11. Chatper Ten

Chapter Ten

Bant Eerin tapped her fingers on the side of the desk, while she read the same test question for the fifth time. The test was a vital part of her grade, but she could not concentrate. She had given up on finding her calm center nearly twenty-five minutes ago. From the corner of her eye, she could see her friend Garen Muln's glances in her direction. He must have sensed her distraction. He was most likely worried she would not do well on the exam.

While speaking with Master Yoda the night before, she had overheard Docent Vant tell the aged Master that they had news about the missing Padawan. The only missing Padawan that she knew of was Obi-Wan Kenobi, her friend. Has Obi-Wan been found, is he alive, and unharmed she wondered? If Obi-Wan was found safe, she assumed that she and the rest of the Temple would know by now. News like that would spread quickly both inside and outside of the Temple walls.

The sound of the classroom door sliding open, and the echo of a walking stick tapping on the floor, filled the large room. Bant turned to see Master Yoda hobbling down the walkway between the rows of desks. It was very unusual for a Master to interrupt in the middle of a class, especially Master Yoda.

"Master Yoda, we are in the middle of an important exam, is there something that I can help you with?" Master Scutt asked from the front of the large classroom. The strict instructor hated interruptions.

"Speak with Initiate Eerin I must," the small Master spoke in his recognizable backward manner.

"She is in the middle of the exam, can't this wait?" The tall human Master questioned Yoda. Her dark eyes seemed to seek answers as she stared at him.

"No. Important matter this, come with me now she must," Yoda said pounding his walking stick on the floor for emphasis. "Resume the test tomorrow she will."

Suddenly more worried than she was before, Bant slowly began to gather her books knowing that Master Scutt would not disobey Master Yoda's orders. "Bant, go with Master Yoda," the instructor said with a barely audible sigh to the Mon Calamarian girl, who sat in the center of the large room.

Bant nodded and stood up. Garen watched her carefully as she gathered her books faster. She knew when Garen caught up with her later that she would have a lot of explaining to do. She hoped she was not in too much trouble. The only two options that she could come up with, was that either she was in trouble, or something had happened to Obi-Wan, and Yoda wanted to tell her in person. She hurriedly walked toward the troll-like Master that waited for her.

"In trouble you are not," Yoda spoke as they exited the classroom together. Bant watched him as he climbed onto his hover chair that sat just outside the doorway. "Show you something, I must," he continued.

Bant was confused, but she realized her questions would have to wait until Master Yoda communicated his information. She followed him as his hover craft quickly floated down the corridor away from the classroom and her concerned friend.

"Hurry we must," he told her as the hover chair increased speed, causing Bant to jog in order to keep up.

When they entered the lift tube, and the Master keyed the lift to take them to the landing platform, Bant again became worried. She could not imagine what he would want to show her on the landing platform. Garen and Obi-Wan were the ones interested in ships and flying, not her.

Bant and Yoda stepped out of the lift tube and out onto the landing platform just in time to see a speeder enter on the far side of the hanger. As she suspected, they headed toward the speeder, as it came to a complete stop. She could already see Masters Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn climbing out of the vessel. Then a third very familiar person jumped out of the back of the speeder, Obi-Wan. She could not hide the smile that spread over her face at the site of her friend, back at the Temple where he belonged. She hurried toward him at a run rushing past Yoda's hover chair.

"Obi-Wan!" she yelled and immediately wrapped him in a suffocating hug as soon as she was close enough. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan told her as she finally released him from her embrace, "It's good to see you again. "I promise that I will say goodbye before I leave next time."

"That would be nice," Bant agreed as Yoda caught up, and stopped his hover chair beside Bant.

"Good to see you it is," Master Yoda spoke to Obi-Wan.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I caused so much trouble Sir," Obi-Wan said looking down at the grease stained floor.

"Afraid you were, understandable it is. Although, keep in mind you must, fear to the dark side leads."

The former Padawan nodded at the small Master, he however, he did not understand what Yoda had meant.

"To the Healers you must go. Waiting for you they are," Yoda said with a glance up at Qui-Gon.

"Do I have to? I've been eating. Dex makes sure all his living employees are well fed." The boy looked up at Qui-Gon with eyes that seemed to plead with the taller man to spare him another trip to the healers.

"I am sorry Obi-Wan. I know you don't like the Healers, but you need to go, to make sure that everything is ok," Qui-Gon told him.

"Yes, your medication you neglected while you were away," Yoda admonished.

"I'll go with you," Qui-Gon assured the teenager.

Realizing that he could not get out of visiting the Healing Wing, Obi-Wan nodded his head. He could not help but wonder if he would also have to visit a Healer regularly when he went to Agri-Corps.

Obi-Wan, Bant, Reeft, and Garen sat on the edge of a pond in one of the gardens. They had just finished swimming in the pond and were now talking while their feet dangled in the warm, clear water. Obi-Wan watched small ripples form as he wiggled his toes.

The previous day, the healers confirmed that he had been eating, but they could tell somehow that he had skipped some meals. Once again, he was given medication and was informed that he would have to see a healer once a month when he went to Agri-Corps, to make certain that he was taking his medication regularly and eating right.

"Did we always swim together and get along like this?" Obi-Wan inquired breaking the silence that had begun to fill the area as they climbed out of the pond. Obi-Wan continued to wiggle his toes through the water. Until today, he did not know that he knew how to swim. He did enjoy it though, and hoped that Agri-Corps would have a pond, lake, or something that he would be able to continue swimming.

"Yes. Often we would swim in the Room of A Thousand Fountains instead, but we always swam together whenever we got a chance," Garen explained.

"Bant swims a lot because she's a Mon Calamari," Reeft continued, "We kind of got into the habit of joining her, I guess."

Obi-Wan felt very sad that he would have to leave so soon. Despite barely knowing them, he felt as if they were becoming good friends. He wished he could be the Obi-Wan Kenobi that they remembered. But without his memory, he felt like a different person trapped in Obi-Wan's body.

"We did other things too," Bant offered, "you two make it sound as if all we do is swim."

"What else did we do?" Obi-Wan asked looking at Bant. He had a feeling that it would be hardest on her when he left again for good this time.

"Lots of things; we almost always ate meals together, we studied together, sparred and practiced katas together, and we went to Padawan Tournaments together," she said.

"Sometimes we just sat around and talked about what was happening at the Temple, or about rumors we heard about other Padawans, initiates, Knights, or Masters," Reeft added.

"You are our friend Obi-Wan, even if you never return. We will never forget you," Garen said as he lay back on the soft grass looking up at the ceiling. His brown haired friend appeared calm and collected, but Obi-Wan could sense that his emotions were in turmoil. He wondered if that was a Jedi trait as well.

"Maybe one day you can come back here and visit us," Bant suggested.

"I would like that," Obi-Wan smiled weakly. He wondered if it would have been better for everyone if the Council had sent him away immediately instead of giving him the chance to get to know the people he would soon have to leave.



Qui-Gon walked through the Room of A Thousand Fountains. Élan followed him carrying Cyjeon in her small hands. Qui-Gon had to slow his pace so the little girl could keep up with him without the need to run. The large room was swirling with the life of the plants and the other Jedi that occupied it. Ordinarily Qui-Gon would take Solace in the living Force that was so abundant here, but he couldn't now, not when Obi-Wan would leave to go to Bandomeer in the morning. He did not know how he could say goodbye to the teenager, but he would have to.

The Jedi Master and Initiate made their way through The Room of A Thousand Fountains. They headed toward the garden where Obi-Wan used to take Cyjeon before he gave the tiny creature to Élan and left the Temple. Qui-Gon thought the teenager would like to see both Cyjeon and Élan before he left for the Agri-Corps.

"Why does Obi-Wan have to leave so soon? He just came back from his mission." Élan questioned the tall Master.

Qui-Gon had been so intent on locating Obi-Wan; he had nearly forgotten the youngling following him. He stopped walking, sighed, and knelt down in front of the girl. "Élan, Obi-Wan is leaving the Temple to go to the Agri-Corps."

"But he's a good Jedi. He will be a good Padawan for you," the girl protested. "He helped me with kata. He'll be a good Master too one day."

"I know Élan, he would have been a great Knight, but something happened while he was on a mission. He doesn't remember being a Jedi, or enough of his training to remain here. He wants to go to the Agri-Corps. It may be hard to let him go, but it is probably for the best."

"It's not fair," the youngling pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know," Qui-Gon nodded sadly. Once again, Yoda's words from two years ago came rushing back to him like a lost child running toward his mother. _"Grave consequences to Initiate Kenobi, if change your mind you do not," _Yoda had said.

"Come Élan, let's find Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon stood up and started to walk toward the garden again. Élan followed behind him silently at a much slower pace than before.

As they approached the garden, Obi-Wan sat on the grass looking at the water. When he heard them approach him, he turned toward them.

"I thought you might want to spend sometime with friends," Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly and stood up, "Hello Élan, how are you?"

"Why you want to leave? You belong here," Élan frowned at him.

Obi-Wan glanced up at Qui-Gon before looking back to the young girl standing in front of him. With a sigh he said, "I would love to stay, but I must go. I can't be a Jedi, I don't remember how to be a Jedi, but maybe we will see each other again sometime," he assured her.

Élan wrapped her arms around Obi-Wan and held him tight. "Still not fair," she said.

Qui-Gon had to fight to keep his emotions in check; Obi-Wan had touched the lives of many people in the short time he was back on Coruscant. Both new and old friends alike would miss the lad greatly.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry," Obi-Wan assured her with a slight smile.

The young girl gradually let go of Obi-Wan and lifted the tiny Diamp out of her tunic pocket. Qui-Gon had not noticed that she had moved him from her hand to her pocket. "I kept Cyjeon safe for you while you were gone," Élan said wiping her eyes with the back of her free hand.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said taking his pet out of her hand. He had missed the reassurance that he felt when the tiny creature slumbered in his own pocket.

The small creature wrapped the length of its body around Obi-Wan's index finger. He smiled down at his small friend and said, "I missed you too Cyjeon."

"Do you understand him?" Élan inquired with a sniffle, as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

"Somewhat," Obi-Wan admitted as he looked up at the girl and then at Qui-Gon. "It's really just feelings. I seem to get a sense of what he's feeling. I could be totally wrong though."

"Most likely you are not wrong," Qui-Gon began. "Jedi are often capable of sensing the feelings of other beings. It is a part of how we determine whether those we deal with on missions are a threat or not."

Obi-Wan nodded his head slowly and looked back at his pet. Cyjeon was now crawling up his arm. The Diamp often crawled up his arm and nuzzled his shoulder right next to his neck.

The four of them sat in silence for nearly an hour before Élan yawned and rested her head on Obi-Wan's shoulder. Cyjeon crawled onto Élan's shoulder and nestled against her neck. With a sudden pang of jealousy, Obi-Wan wondered if leaving his small friend with the little girl had been a mistake.

"I think I should take Élan back to the crèche," Qui-Gon suggested.

"No," Élan complained. "I wana stay with Obi-Wan. He's gonna leave tomorrow. Might not get to see him again."

Obi-Wan looked down at the girl. He could see in her eyes that she was tired, but she was also very determined. He suddenly felt very guilty for the momentary jealousy he felt. Obi-Wan realized that Cyjeon must have sensed Élan's turmoil, and was attempting to comfort her.

"Élan," Obi-Wan began, "why don't you keep Cyjeon with you. He can watch over you while I'm gone. And you can watch over him for me."

"Élan wrapped her arms around the former Padawan again. Once more tears fell freely from her eyes, like the trickle of water that flowed out of one of the nearby fountains. Soon Élan fell asleep in the comfort of Obi-Wan's arms.

Qui-Gon accompanied Obi-Wan to the crèche as the teen carried the slumbering girl and Cyjeon in his arms.



Qui-Gon Jinn sat silently on a chair in his living area as Obi-Wan gathered his belongings. He did not have much, but he was leaving with a lot more than he had arrived with. The items were gifts from the Council and his friends. The Council had provided him with clothes and other personal items he might need, while Obi-Wan's friends had given him small trinkets to remember them.

Qui-Gon ran his finger along the smooth surface of the river stone in his pocket. He wanted to give it to Obi-Wan at just the right moment, but he wasn't sure, when that was. It was nearly time for the teen to say goodbye, possibly for forever. He would have to give it to him now, before they went to the landing platform.

Obi-Wan finally emerged from the temporary room where he had slept for the past two nights, carrying a medium travel bag. "I'm ready, Master Jinn," Obi-Wan said.

"Obi-Wan, come sit down," Qui-Gon said. The young man walked toward the table where the Master sat. Before he reached the table, however, the door chime announced a visitor.

"I'll get it," Obi-Wan told him as he changed direction and walked to the door instead. Masters Mace Windu and Plo Koon stood outside the apartment door.

"Hello Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon," Mace said with a nod toward the longhaired Master, who stood up and walked toward the door.

"The transport is here now to take you to Bandomeer, Obi-Wan. Are you ready?" Plo Koon asked.

"Yes," the teenager nodded and glanced at Master Jinn.

"We better get going then," Qui-Gon said. He hoped he would have a chance to give the stone to Obi-Wan before he boarded the transport. He could not believe in a few minutes he would have to say goodbye to the youngster. The lad's time in the Temple had been so short. Although, Qui-Gon knew that years wouldn't have been enough time for him to say goodbye.

The three Masters and Obi-Wan walked silently through the hallways of the Temple on their way to the hangar. Qui-Gon could sense Obi-Wan's surprise as they entered the hangar and the teen saw all of the people who had gathered on the landing platform to say goodbye to him. All twelve members of the Jedi Council, Bant, Reeft, Garen, Siri Tachi, Master Tahl, Master Ali-Alan, Élan, and even Dexter Jettster was all there.

Qui-Gon waited patiently while the overwhelmed teenager said goodbye to every individual on the landing platform. After saying goodbye to Master Yoda, the last person Obi-Wan had to say goodbye to, Qui-Gon walked with Obi-Wan to the waiting transport. They both stopped at the bottom of the vessel's ramp.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon began as he knelt down on one knee. "I'm going to miss you. I would have been honored to call you my Padawan."

"I will miss you too, but it is best for me to go," Obi-Wan assured him. Unshed tears glistened in his blue/green eyes.

"I know that now," Qui-Gon smiled sadly.

"Thank you for finding me and bringing me here. I can have a real life, and I know who I am now." Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around the large man as a tear slid down his cheek. Qui-Gon desperately tried to ignore the ache he felt in his heart as he returned the embrace. He did not want to let the boy go.

"I have something that I would like to give you, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said finally letting the lad go. Reaching into his tunic pocket, he pulled out the river stone and gently ran his thumb over its smooth surface one last time. "I found this stone in The River of Light on my home planet, when I was no older than you are now. I know it won't take the place of Cyjeon, but you can keep it in your pocket and remember me and all the friends that you made here at the Temple."

Obi-Wan smiled and looked at the stone, "I will treasure it always," he said and took the river stone into his own hand. Suddenly the rock began to glow. At first, it was a dim white light, which surrounded the stone and the boy's hand. Then the glowing light became more intense and grew to encompass more and more of Obi-Wan's body. Within seconds, it covered his entire body. With a gasp, Obi-Wan fell to his knees as the other Jedi rushed forward.

"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon said and immediately grabbed the boy's hand to try and remove the stone. An unknown force threw him backward a few meters away from the teen. He could not move to help the young man. He felt as if a force field surrounded him, preventing him from moving.

Tahl was at his side immediately while the Council members desperately tried to use the Force to remove the stone from the boy's hand. Qui-Gon could only watch in horror as Obi-Wan knelt motionless on the grease-stained floor while he glowed. Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut tight as a grimace covered his face. Qui-Gon could sense his fear and pain, but was powerless to do anything to help him.

Then, just as suddenly as it all began, the glowing stopped and Obi-Wan collapsed in a heap on the floor. The stone clattered on the durasteel floor as it fell from the teen's hand.

Qui-Gon, again able to move, rushed to Obi-Wan's side without hesitation. "Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan, can you hear me?" he asked as he called on the Force to determine what was wrong. He could hear Élan crying somewhere behind him as he picked the unconscious young man up and hurried out of the landing area toward the Healer's Wing.

To be continued…


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

Qui-Gon sat nervously on a chair inside the Healers waiting area. He could not find his calm center anymore than he could explain what had happened to Obi-Wan Kenobi on the landing platform a few hours ago. The events continued to replay in his mind like a broken holoprojector; but, it did little to help him solve the mystery.

"Qui-Gon," Mace began, "Where did you say you found the rock?"

"I found it on my home planet when I was about Obi-Wan's age. I don't understand what happened to him Mace. I've handled the stone many times. Both Tahl and Master Dooku have touched it too. Nothing like this has ever happened before." Qui-Gon rubbed his hands over his face as a frustrated sigh escaped his lips.

"What's unique about it?" "I know you well enough to know you wouldn't give Obi-Wan an ordinary rock."

"It's a Force sensitive stone," Qui-Gon replied solemnly.

"Why did the rock hurt Obi-Wan when it didn't hurt anyone else," Garen asked from across the room.

"Maybe this happened so he would miss the transport," Bant suggested from her seat beside Garen.

"I was thinking the same thing," Tahl agreed as she sat next to Qui-Gon.

Although he was reluctant to admit it to Mace or anyone else in the room, the same thought had crossed Qui-Gon's mind several times. Before he could dwell further on the possible involvement of the Force, the waiting room door slid open and Healer Grien entered the room. He looked tired and perplexed.

"How is he?" Qui-Gon asked, rising to his feet immediately as the Healer entered

"As far as we can tell he's fine. He's sleeping right now, although he did regain consciousness long enough to complain of a headache. We're waiting for the results of some more scans of his head; we won't know if there are any other problems until then.

"Can I see him?" Qui-Gon questioned, taking a step closer to the Twi'lek and the doorway.

"Yes, I thought that you might, he's still asleep, but he should wake soon," Healer Grien remarked.

Qui-Gon quickly left the room, and hurried toward the area where he could sense Obi-Wan's presence. Something wasn't quite right. He just couldn't quite place what was different

Upon entering the room, he noticed that the boy was awake and staring at the ceiling. He looked so much younger than he really was. Qui-Gon wanted to keep the boy at his side to protect him, but Obi-Wan didn't look at him as he entered the room. Qui-Gon nearly stopped his approach when he noticed the tears that streamed down the lad's pale cheeks. "Obi-Wan," he said.

Finally, the teen looked up at him. "Are you all right? Do you need me to get Healer Grien," the Master asked. Apprehension gripped his shoulders with an ironclad hold, but his face was a mask of perfect tranquility.

Obi-Wan nodded his head slightly, "I'm fine; they gave me something for the headache. It's better already."

Even the way the youngster spoke somehow seemed different, like his Force presence. Qui-Gon grabbed a chair from across the room and dragged it next to the boy's sleep couch and sat down. "I'm sorry Obi-Wan; I didn't know that the stone would hurt you. I would never have given it to you if I had known…"

Obi-Wan quickly turned to look at Qui-Gon. "It didn't hurt me. Other than the headache, it helped me; you helped me Master Qui-Gon."

Master, Obi-Wan had not called him Master since he first found him on Luzick. "I'm afraid I don't understand, the stone took over your body momentarily. I could see the pain in your eyes, but I couldn't help you. I couldn't help you until after the stone had released you."

"You did help me Master Jinn; you found and brought me back to the Temple. If you hadn't done that I would still be stealing scraps of food left by the diners on Luzick; I would still be Ben. And Ben didn't know Master Oxane, he was a great Master. Master Oxane died trying to save me from the mind wipe; it's my fault that he died, Master Jinn. If I hadn't gotten caught he would still be alive."

"It wasn't your fault; you had no way of knowing…" Qui-Gon stopped mid sentence and looked at the boy with wide eyes. "You remember your Master?" He felt a sense of hope that he had not felt in a long time.

Obi-Wan nodded, "I remember everything. I remember sneaking away from the crèche with Bant, Garen, and Reeft to swim in The Room of a Thousand Fountains. I remember the day Master Oxane took me as his Padawan after I dueled with Bruck Chun. He told me that I fought Bruck in anger; I thought the Council would send me to Agri-Corps because of it, but he asked me to be his Padawan. He said that he would help me overcome it."

Qui-Gon reeled with shock. Obi-Wan had regained his memory

and he didn't know what to say to him. He didn't know how he could help him once he realized his Master was gone.

"Master Qui-Gon," Healer Grien interrupted them. "I must speak with you. I have the results of the scans." Qui-Gon could sense the presence of Mace and Yoda outside; obviously, they too were waiting to hear the results.

"I want to know," Obi-Wan spoke quickly wiping the tears from his pale cheeks.

Healer Grien glanced at Qui-Gon, who nodded his approval. The Healer then asked Mace and Yoda to enter the room and close the door behind them. Once the two Masters were inside, he began. "The results are quite unusual; there is much more brain activity than when we scanned him the first time he was brought back to the Temple. I'm not sure how the incident caused the increased activity, but I will run more scans and test to find out, I assure you."

Qui-Gon glanced down at Obi-Wan who smiled at the bewilderment covering the Twi'lek's face. "Healer Grien, I don't think running any more scans or tests on the boy will be necessary."

"Why? We must find out what…"

"He means we already know," Obi-Wan butted in trying to hide another smile. "And I for one am not going to stay here and let you use me as an experiment. It's bad enough that I've had to come here almost every month since I was a toddler. Do you remember when I had the Rishari flu? You tried a new medicine on me that caused me to break out in a rash. I looked like a spotted Cokiean bird. My friends wanted to play connect the dots. So I think I'll pass."

"That was an isolated incident, you were not the first to be given the medication; you were simply the only one to…" Healer Grien's eyes grew wide as he realized what Obi-Wan had just said.

"You remember?" Mace asked.

"Yes, I remember everything," Obi-Wan told them.

"Good news this is," Yoda commented stepping forward closer to the healer.

"That would certainly explain the changes in the scans, but it still doesn't explain why his memory became active again," Grien persisted.

"Come you will, Grien," Yoda said walking toward the doorway with a gnarled hand guiding the Twi'lek toward the exit. "Discuss with you the will of the Force I will, while inform the others, Mace will of Obi-Wan's prognosis."

The healer nodded and glanced back at Obi-Wan one last time before following the old Master out of the recovery room. Mace smiled and turned to Obi-Wan, "It is good to have you back Obi-Wan." With a nod toward Qui-Gon, Mace left them alone in the room again.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan smiled slightly but Mace had already left the room.

Once Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were alone again, the youth looked at the older man and asked, "I'll still have to go to Agri-Corps won't I? Be…because my Master is dead."

Reaching out his hand to wipe away a stray tear that still lingered on the boy's cheek, Qui-Gon said, "No, I know I can't replace your Master, but my offer to take you as my Padawan still stands. I would be honored to train you."

Wide eyes looked at him in surprise. "But you left the Order. I once had a dream that you would become my Master, but Master Yoda told me that he didn't think you would return to the Jedi in time to train me. He said you had too many inner demons to fight. I can't allow you to take me just because you think the river stone hurt me."

"Obi-Wan, I know now that the stone saved you. It brought you back to me after I thought I was losing you. I've gotten to know you and Cyjeon, and I believe that you will make a great Jedi Knight one day. I have also come to care about you very much. I am asking you to be my Padawan, because I want you to be my Padawan."

Obi-Wan smiled up at the longhaired man , "I would be honored to be your Padawan, Master."

The End :)


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